Will You be my Queen?
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Ruling over an endless arid sea of sand can get pretty lonely, if you're the king. Alone and forgotten by everyone, Ichigo Kurosaki decided to do something about it. He made a deal with the devil, and set out to find himself a queen. Dark Ichigoxharem
1. Chapter 1

**Note: Aizen has taken the Hogyoku without killing Rukia. She will be the main _protagonist _and Ichigo will be the _antagonist_.**

(My name....is Ichigo. And this.... is my story)

I went to the human world once...

But...

Why can't I remember it?

--

He spat out growl, as he stood over the vasto lorde.

The hollow was in the shape of a humanoid lizard, white with red markings along it. A tail tipped in red thrashed about behind it. The hollows feet were birdlike, the arms and chest powerfully muscled. Spikes protruded from the shoulders, and a mane of spiky orange hair went down the back. The mask was surprisingly simple, just big enough to cover the face, with nine red lines on the left side.

He opened his maw wide.

**"Kill."**

With a scream, he struck.

Brownish yellow eyes widened, as he swallowed the mound of flesh.

It was happening!

A wild laugh pierced the night.

His new Vasto Lorde form became visible through all of the sand he had kicked up. He was slimmer than he had been before. He had gained more red markings, and his feet had lost the birdlike look they had once had. Three tails, far slimmer than the original one, swayed behind him like snakes. Each one was tipped with a spike, and he demonstrated that he could extend them all of could extend with a judicious application of reaistu

His abdomen was white, while red, bony armor covered his chest. The same bony substance covered his thighs, calves, the outside of his arms, basically anywhere there wasn't a joint was covered, and even then, the outside was protected. There was even the armor on the back of his hands. There were still spines on his shoulders.

He looked down at his hands, and then began to chuckle, which soon morphed into full-blown laughter. **"VASTO LORDE!!!!"** He shrieked to the heavens as his power exploded out of him in a red-tinged white aura...

--

(Months later)

It was boring here.

He had brought peace, or what peace could be expected from his kind, to this arid place. He had struck down all who opposed him, whom, much to his mild annoyance, were rather small in number.

Once he had killed the vasto lorde Barragan, everyone had suddenly left him be.

He was king.

But what point was there in being king...

If you didn't have a queen?

He mused about this. How very..._odd _it was. His personality was mostly composed of soul reapers and hollows. He had never once devoured a human being. No, there was no trace of mortal fraility under his reaitsu hardened skin.

So...

Why did he cringe at the thought of spending his time here alone? Why did the thought of companionship make his heart race? He could not even begin to understand it himself.

A bitter chuckle.

"Stupid humans. They have it so easy...

Ah yes, the mortals. They had a finite, short life span. An expiration date. While he was not neccesarily immortal per se, neither did he have a definition of life, or how long he would live. Oh yes, humans had it easy.

He looked up from his perch on the pillar as he heard footsteps. The sound had interrupted his musings, and such a thing was nigh unforgiveable. It was also the main reason many of his own kind had let him alone.

Content to kill the would be intruder/assailaint, he looked up.

Three adjuchas.

Child's play.

He suddenly appeared before them, his cloak swaying in the wind, moonlight casting his shadow over them. His voice crashed through the sky, reflecting off his claws, and adding gravity to his words, spoke solemnly.

"You shall not pass."

"Outta our way!" Shouted the largest, as the three upped their reiatsu, in an attempt at intimidation. "We want to see the shinigami! We want to see Aizen-sama."

"He is not here." Drawled the vasto lorde.

If that was all, he would have let them live. _Then_ they made the mistake of stepping forward. Ichigo planted his feet firmly into the ground, and spoke but one word, as he left them embedded there, clawed feet digging into the sands.

"No."

When they didn't leave-

He pounced!

Stepping forward, in a lightning fast sonido unpo, his fist easily burst through the first's mask to drive through, and smite the beast a mighty blow in the gut, that knocked the air, and him, out cold, as he flew backwards.

The thinner of the trio was next to strike, and lunged forward, thrusting out with his rapier like pincers-

Only for Ichigo to smoothly spin on one heel, nudge aside the red eyes eyes roll back in his head. His entire body went boneless, and he wasdown for the count, joining the first in his slowed fall to the unforgiving ground beneath them.

The third watched this all in mute horror, as it had all taken place in less than three seconds.

"What speed...

_'Is this the power of a vasto lorde?'_

As if just now noticing the last, he suddenly whirled about, and lunged forwards. In an instant he struck, thrusting out his elbow right into its gut, yet just before impact, he uttered one word.

"Pitiful."

And then he devoured them.

The sound of clapping.

"Impressive."

Cold eyes reflected annoyance.

It was that shinigami again.

He had brought company this time.

Sighing, he dropped from his handold, and landed in a crouch upon the sands. He rose, and displeasure was seen in his eyes. "Hmph. What do you want, shinigami?"

He flexed one hand, showing his claws.

"I told you to stay away from this place."

The man with glasses smiled lightly.

"I have come to offer something this time, Kurosaki."

The vasto lorde waved a hand dismissively.

"I have heard of your plans for Soul Society, and am not interested."

The fifth squad captain shook his head. "I have not come here to talk about that."

"I have also heard that you have strange plans for my bretheren." He went on, grinding it out as a deadly hiss. "If you intend to subject me and my subjects to servitude-

Ichigo was suddenly across the sands. His fingers formed a tri-point, from which black light began to gleam. Over the dull pounding that was the cero oscuras, his voice rumbled: "-Then I shall kill you here and now."

Aizen did not seem worried at all.

"Servitude? I merely ask for your assistance." The blast was beginning to swell now, and was mere inches from his nose. His eyes seemed to spark now, but not a hint of fear was to be seen. "You are free to come and go as you please."

The hand was lowered.

"And what is in it for me?"

Aizen smiled that deceptive smile of his, the one that had fooled so many, and would continue to do so.

"Whatever your heart desires."

Ichigo frowned.

"And I can leave at anytime?"

"Any time at all, Kurosaki-san."

--

His howl of raw agony sounded like nails grating down on a chalkboard.

It was agonizing.

He screamed for what felt like a hellish eternity.

After the pain, he forced his eyes open, and blinked at the ceiling. The ceiling was completely unamazing, smooth, and stark white. He knew this ceiling, had woken up to see it many times before. But he couldn't figure out why he was looking at it.

Wasn't he dead?

"You're awake." a soft kind voice said, and he bolted upright, turned his head to see a...

Woman smiling at him.

"I'm alive?" He murmurred, one hand touching his face, where his mask should be.

It was there, or rather, _part of it was_. It was still there, but now only part of it covered his upper left face. On his right ear, at the area where you would get your ear pierced, the whole edge was covered in the remains of his mask, from the top to the bottom. The top then curved up and attached itself to his face, running down his cheek a bit. But not far enough to be very noticeable. He brought his hand up and touched it with his fingers. Most of the time he forgot it was even there.

But when he did it still seemed so foreign to him.

"Yes you are." She murmured, and placed a cool hand on his forehead.

She had flowing teal hair with bangs that fell into her eyes, and a skull mask with curved horns was intact on top of her head. Her face was even more beautiful up close, large viridian eyes looking over his bloody, scarred body with the utmost concern the spots of blush under her eyes adding a bit of innocence to her persona.

He could not help but notice that she was impressively well endowed.

She extended her other hand to him.

"My name is Neliel. Tercera espada."

Ichigo blinked, then noticed the number tattooed on his hand, when he went to shake with her.

It was a large black two, in a gothic style.

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

Only then did he realize he was naked, with only a sheet draped across his lower groin region.

He turned a deep red.

"Gah!"

Neliel tossed him an was a white jacket, black sash, and a white hakama which he hastily donned. Suddenly, he felt the strong desire NOT to expose himself like that ever again.

"'Kay then Ichigo, do you think you are up to visitors?" She asked, leaning back, having watched the _entire time_ as he dressed himself.

"Visitors?"

"Hai. Aizen-sama wants you to pick out a fraccion."

Ichigo did not seemed to pleased about this.

"What in kami's name is a fraccion?"

Neliel giggled.

"You'll find out soon enough, Ichigo-kun."

She then turned to the door, as someone had knocked.

"Tell the new guy that we're having a meeting!" Came a harsh voice.

Ichigo found his hand straying the massive blade on his back-

Hold it, when the hell did that get there?

"Shut up." She replied brightly, taking Ichigo's wrist and pulling him off the table upon which he had sat. "We're coming!"

Ichigo had no choice but to follow Neliel.

This was a very strange day.

**And so it begins! I forgot to mention i was gonna post this back in december, but i completely forgot about it. hehe. hope u like!**


	2. A Friend Left Behind

**The explanation of Aizen's plan is an excerpt taken from Tyrant Lizard. I take no credit for it.**

This was a _very_ strange day.

He was led into what had to be a meeting room.

A table was stationed in the middle of it, with a few chairs here and there, ten overall.

There was only one other person sitting at the table, a man.

His wavy shoulder-length hair was dark, unkempt, and parted down the middle. He also had a goatee. His clothing consisted of the regular Arrancar jacket, albeit with the collar upturned. A dark sash, was worn in a manner similar to a bullfighter or matador, placed about his waist near his Zanpakutō, completing his otherwise nondescript, ordinary, and harmless appearance. The remains of his Hollow mask consisted of a bottom jaw that was positioned like a necklace. His hollow hole was on his sternum, right below the tip of his mask. His Espada tattoo couldn't be seen.

He sat in a slouch, as if just _being here_was terribly boring for him. His entire being seemed to convey either a sense of easygoing...Or just plain ol' lazziness.

At the sound of Ichigo and Neliel's approach, he looked to the right, and straightened slightly. "Hello there." This was accompanied by a long yawn, one which made Ichigo sweatdrop, as the man made no effort to conceal his apparent boredom.

"Erm....hello."

Surprisingly, he was out of his seat before Ichigo even noticed he had moved. This one was fast. Very fast. "You feeling alright?" Asked the man, ignoring Ichigo's minor annoyance at now being refered by his name. "You look pale."

He managed a nod, then looked around the dimly light room. Even the dim lighting hurt his eyes. He wasn't entirely fond of any of this. His new body, this weight of this hulking sword on his back, coupled with the fact that he looked _human _again_, _was entirely disconcerting-

Wait.

Again?

_'I was never human....right....?'_

Pain abruptly argued otherwise, as did a familiar image of a shinigami. He immediately felt as if he _knew her_, but try as he might, he simply could not grasp at her name. It was infuriating. He had been a hollow all his life, so why on _earth_did he think he knew a shinigami?

The image, or rather, the person, seemed to turn and look at him. She appeared to be sitting, and her legs dangled over a surface. A serene, yet sad look was on her face. Her violet eyes, tinged with just a _hint _of blue,

"Ichigo?" She whispered his name...

**You really don't remember, do you? **Boomed a deep masculine voice. A lengthy sigh soon followed it. **But then again, I wasn't that surprised when you suppressed the memories...**

_'What? Who are-_

Something in his chest ached then, and he felt like he was about to vomit.

**How sad. We will have to chat again, Ichigo...**

--

She sat on the cliff, and sighed, as she pulled the blade out of the hollow.

The little bugger had somehow found its way here, into the Sereitei. She had been the only one on duty at the time to deal with it, thanks to the drunken actions of squad eleven.

Her posture had changed a bit since the untimely rescue, as had her actual physical appearance, but only slightly so. She had perhaps grown three inches or so in the past few months, and had become significantly closer to her brother, even forgiving him for striking Ichigo down.

There was a significant reason for this.

Byakuya was unable to stand the thought of her death. At the last minute, he had shocked everyone, herself included, by aiding captains Ukitake and Kyoraku, destroying the Soukyoku. Breaking the rules and his promise to his dead parents further, he had them proceeded to _smash _the scaffold with his Senbonzakura, and then proceeded to snatch his little sister from harm.

He had even saved her from Aizen.

It made her smile lightly, to know that under all his pride...

Nii-sama really cared about her.

However, though she had forgiven Nii-sama...

She simply could not forgive _herself_, not for being the cause of Ichigo's death. It was even worse than when she had been forced to take Kaien-dono's life. She never thought she'd feel even _worse _than that terrible day...

The labored hiss of the adjuchas drew her mind back to the present.

Apparently it was still living.

Momentarily forgetting herself, she sat up, and held her blade out.

**"Dance."**She commanded, and swept it around. As it spun, a transformation commenced. Her blade, a normal katana with a rectangular hand guard and reddish-brown handle....

Changed entirely. It was now completely white, including the hilt, crossguard, and blade. The tsuba turned to a circle and a white ribbon formed from the pommel.

**"Sode no Shirayuki!"** (袖白雪, _Sleeve's White Snow_):

She swept out the blade, and uttered: "**Some no mai, Tsukishiro!"** (初の舞・月白, _First Dance, White Moon_):

A pillar of ice exploded into the daylight, and she watched as it crinkled to dust, killing the hollow. A bitter laugh escaped her lips. It was the saddest, loneliest sound anyone had ever heard her utter, her only audible admission to the emotional pain that had steadily built under her breast.

How ironic. She _felt_hollow inside. The voice in her head had gotten louder, the other entity that was there, and was alien to her zanpaktou. It laughed at her weakness, telling her that Ichigo was alive, taunting her with hope. It was times like these that she honestly wished that Aizen had taken her life.

It would be so much easier that way.

Then she wouldn't have to worry about this damn _thing_ inside of her. She slid the steel back into the sheathe, sighed, then returned

Even now, she felt as if his eyes were on her. But it was a lie. He was dead. It was her fault. If only she had been stronger, if only she'd posessed the skill she had now.

If only.

If only....

"Ichigo...

_'Idiot, you stupid idiot!' _She berated herself furiously, shaking her head rapidly from side to side. In doing so, she sprayed her tears every which way, about this way and that._ 'He's dead! Dead dead dead dead! Forget about him and_ move on_!'_

Saying that didn't help her any, and tears began to spill from her eyes, then down her face, onto the stones. Her zanpaktou fell from her hands, which now gripped at her knees in a futile effort to quell the misery.

Her inner hollow laughed loudly, adding its sardonic mirth to her inistent cries...

**_"Aw....poor baby. Still afraid of using bankai?'_**

_'Shut up! Go away! Leave me alone!'_

**_"Are you crying again?" _**It persisted, taking great pleasure in the misery it was causing her. **_"That's all you ever do. Cry, cry, cry! Cry like the helpless-_**

She clamped both hands over her ears, in a futile effort to drown out the voice.

**_"Little-_**

But to no avail. It was a part of her, and she could not silence its voice, a mockery of her own.

**_"Weakling you are!"_**

"Enough!" She shrieked this part aloud, and was glad that there was no one around at this late hour. That meant that there was no one around to hear her crying. She refused to let them see her as anything but strong. She had to be strong, its what Ichigo would have wanted her to do.

That was becoming difficult. The other her _delighted _in tormenting her every moment. Whether she was asleep or awake, it mattered not to this creature. It would torment her, just to hear her scream. At this very moment, she felt weak.

Oh, so _very_ weak.

Aizen. He was the root of all this, she suddenly realized. It was _he_who had orchestrated the plan that had taken Ichigo's life. If she killed _him_, she'd have serenity, of that much she was certain. She would have peace, a peace she so desperately needed right now.

Then maybe, just maybe...

The voice would remain silent.

--

Blinking, Ichigo cleared away the haze, and the voice in his head.

"This is all....rather unusual."

The man laughed lightly, scratching the back of his head as he did so.

"I thought the same thing when I came here."

"Starkie's right." Added Neliel. "It'll take some getting used to, but its not so bad once you do get used to it." She pursed her lips and seemed to think. "Plus, we're not exactly alone here either."

Ichigo remained silent, blinking once.

"Remember the fraccion, I mentioned to you?"

The strawberry blond nodded once.

"Yes...I recall you mentioning that."

Nel grinned brightly, as if nothing anyone could say or do, would ever hamper her optimistic nature. "Its like picking out your own friends! You can have as many as you want!"

Associating with other hollows was something...New to him. Back in his day, it had been eat or be eaten, kill or be killed. These formalities and small talk would take some getting used to. As would interacting with these _fraccion_ he was supposed to have. So would being on an actual _team_.

"So, its just the _three_ of us now, huh?" Spoke Stark aloud, musing to himself.

The mention of numbers aroused Ichigo's curiosity. He now held up his palm, exposing the tattoo there. "What does this number mean?" Stark's response was to

"It signifies your rank." He cast Neliel a glance. "She's the third, meaning you're supposedly stronger then her." He again sighed. "And I'm sure you can guess what my rank is."

Stark removed the glove from his left hand when no response was forthcoming. In doing so, he exposed the number one tattooed upon the back of his hand. Ichigo felt his brow twitch in annoyance at the sight of the accursed digit.

_Of course_ there had to be someone higher than him! After a moment of furious dismissed it. Oh well, He said to himself. What point was there in being king, unless you overthrew the current one?

"I'm the Primera. Your the Segunda, and Neliel is the the Tercera." Stated Stark simply. Either he was unaware that Ichigo now wanted the top spot, or he just simply didn't care.

"Yes, for now." Came a familiar voice from somewhere to the south of them, and from an elevated position. Something about the way that was said made Ichigo shudder. He currently had no animosity towards Neliel, and saw her as an ally, right off the bat. In fact...His eyes glinted devilishy know, as he formed an idea. She could be _very_useful in helping him wrest the title of Primera away from Stark.

It was for the best, he told himself.

Someone as lazy as that buffoon did not _deserve _to be king! Oh sure, he seemed nice enough, heck before Ichigo knew his rank, he actually might have viewed Stark as a mentor.

Not anymore, as he found the direction of the voice.

The three looked up to see Aizen on a throne, which was now illuminated for them to see. A kindly smile graced his face. "Welcome to Las Noches, Ichigo Kurosaki, Neliel Tu Oderschvank." Nel bowed lightly, and Ichigo just huffed. Kaname stiffened at the segunda's lack of respect, but a look from Aizen told him to let it be.

He now gestured to the table. "Come, my brothers and sister, sit. We have much to discuss."

They did so, with Stark taking the seat at the front of the table, Ichigo on his left, and Neliel on his right.

Aizen seemingly produced a cup from out of nowhere, and it contained steaming liquid of some kind or another. He seemed to notice the odd looks he was receiving from all but Stark, who was of course, too bored to care about it.

"But first, let us have tea."

When the drink was given to him, Ichigo eyed it warily, as though it were poison. But when Neliel and Stark drank it, he felt his reservations dissipate somewhat. Fumbling with his new human hands, he curled his right around the handle, and used the left to steady it, raising the glass up to his mouth.

The aroma wafted through his nose. It was a pleasant scent, warm, soft even. So alien to the grimy, forlorn world of perpetual night, to which he called home.

He sipped at it first, then blinked in mild surprise. It actually tasted quite good. Better than adjuchas flesh in your mouth at least. He swallowed, and the warm liquid rushed down his gullet. He drank the rest within seconds, and then found that it was gone. His stomach grumbled now.

He was hungry.

He wanted to eat something, other than a hollow for once.

Ichigo was now aware of Aizen speaking, and that snapped him out of his daze.

"I suppose you're wondering why I've asked you three to join me. If you will allow me to explain my reasons, then I promise you that your time will not be wasted."

He waited for their reply, which came as a slow nod from each.

He went on to elaborate his plan.

The way he saw it, the current status quo just wasn't good enough. Hollows were killed just for being what they were. Shinigami acted as though they alone determined what was right and just. Humans were blissfully unaware of either.

This seemed to catch Ichigo's interest, and distracted him from his growling stomach.

This state of affairs was unseemly, and if the King of Soul Society failed to do anything about it, then it was left up to him. He then took some time to explain just what the King of Soul Society was, and how he, Aizen Sousuke, intended to achieve his goal. The way to do that was to make _himself_the King of Soul Society. Then he could make regular humans aware of the existence of both shinigami and hollow. The shinigami would be relegated to making sure wholes made it to soul society through konso.

The hollows would be sealed in Hueco Mundo, no one able to go in or out except a special gateway, infused with the King of Soul Society's power that would draw new hollows in. The Hogyoku would be placed in the gate, transforming hollows into arrancar that didn't need to feed on souls, and gave them back their intelligence, letting them create a new civilization in Hueco Mundo, separate from both the human realm and the Soul Society.

The three worlds would be at peace, with him ruling over them all.

A truly great plan to allow the three worlds to coexist

"And of course the ten of you and your fraccion will have all your freedom to come and go as you please-

"Hold it." Ichigo's voice cut him off. "I see only three of us here."

Aizen smiled lightly.

"You are correct, Ichigo." His gaze now strayed to the seven other empty seats. "You three are the top generals in my army." The trio exchanged a glance.

"Army?" This question came from Neliel.

The shinigami with pale purple hair and the creepy grin chuckled.

Aizen continued speaking. "Many more will join us in time, Neliel." He seemed to pause for a moment, as if he were thinking of the proper response to give her. "It'll be like one big family."

This seemed to please her greatly, as a happy smile covered her innocent face.

"Except that this 'family' is going to war with the shinigami." Aizen had expected Ichigo to say that, but much to his surprise, and it took a _lot _to surprise him, it was _Stark_ who had said this.

The primera was looking at him shrewdly, waiting for an answer to his question.

Gathering his composure, Aizen spoke again, and it was if nothing had happened.

"Yes, we will all be going to war soon. When winter comes, we will defeat the shinigami and make this world a better place for everyone."

Neliel seemed a bit sad at this, but Ichigo seemed to nod.

"That's a few months from now, right?" He asked.

Aizen nodded.

"So that's it? Others are just gonna waltz on in and join us?" He sounded sarcastic, incredulous, as if to say 'There's no way in hell that'll work!' "You make it sound so simple."

Aizen templed is fingers beneath his chin, then leaned on them. "Not all will come to us. We may have to come to some of them." He was clearly referring to the three before him, as he had personally gone out to ask for their help. These three would likely not refer to him as 'Aizen-sama' like the other, lower ranks doubtlessly would.

However, he had his own ways of keeping tabs on them, of keeping them in line. Kurosaki was the only problem in that regard. The vasto lorde honesly didn't seem to give a shit when it came to this war. He was only after his 'heart's desire'.

Cunning strategist that he was, Aizen Sosuke could easily guess at what Ichigo wanted. To the untrained eye, Ichigo seemed to be a simple vasto lorde, who wanted more power. However, that was unlikely, as he had ruled over Huecon Muendo months before Aizen even set foot here.

And that he had evolved from a mere hollow into a vasto lorde, in a _week..._

Well, that was nigh unheard of. No, it could most certainly be said that Ichigo was not after power. He was perhaps Stark's equal, but Aizen had deliberately given the strawberry blond a lower rank with the purpose of chaining him in some way.

Urahara had been a _fool _to let this one slip.

He now had power, he had the strength...That left only one thing one weakness in his otherwise impenatrable armor. He had often seen this particular vasto lorde staring up at the night sky on his brief visits here, before he allowed himself to be chased away, feigning an air of weakness.

No longer. He could tell Ichigo was wary of him now, that he let his reiatsu hang out in the air.

The human part of Kurosaki was lonely, and coupled with his hollow half, that loneliness was amplified _tenfold_. Ichigo Kurosaki believed himself to be the 'king' of Hueco Muendo, and that he had lived here all his life...

When he was really only a hollow for a few months. This shattered shaft of Urhara's had failed to restore the boy's shinigami powers, and instead, it had brought Ichigo right to him.

Regardless, it was cleardesired a mate, or in his case _mates_. There was no way any one woman would be able to satisfy this one's base need for companionship, nor his simmering lust that he often kept in check.

It was a miracle in itself that he didn't take Neliel when he first saw her.

As long as he kept Ichigo content, he wouldn't have to worry about the vasto lorde rising up against him, or so he reasoned. Indeed, if he could keep Ichigo _occupied, _then he would keep him here. So long as he thought he belonged here, all was well.

"Ichigo, have you chosen your fraccion yet?"

The segunda espada stiffened at the sudden question.

"No, I haven't."

Aizen's smile seemed genuine now. Seemed was the key word. This shinigami didn't have a decent bone in his body, nor the slightest shred of decency.

"Perhaps you should."

Ichigo's mind was currently elsewhere.

He'd get Stark first, _then_he'd take out Aizen, once he'd served his purpose. He was _no one's _puppet, and if these shinigami thought he could control a vasto lorde like him...

Then they were all in for one _helluva _surprise.

He'd rip apart anyone who stood in his way...

And he'd find himself a queen as he did it.

Aizen rose from his throne, and walked down the steps, and for the third time that day, Ichigo was dragged out of his musings.

"Come, Kurosaki. I shall take you to choose them." Stated the former captain.

Ichigo followed, mildly interested, bidding his goodbyes to Neliel, and sparing a stiff nod in Stark's direction.

"Them?"

Aizen kept himself from smiling, as they crossed into a corridor.

"Of course. There are others who have come, seeking power." They were now at a door, and Aizen opened it. Ichigo recognized the room as the one he had been in when he woke up. They entered, and headed left, walking down a hall. "You may choose as many as you like." Stated Aizen.

They entered a room, and found someone else waiting for them.

He had shoulder-length pink hair and amber eyes. The remains of his hollow mask took the form of rectangular-framed glasses, giving him a scholarly appearance. The placement of his Hollow hole and Espada number were both unknown.

His clothes differ from the original Arrancar dress. Instead of a normal jacket, he wore a long shirt that covers all of the skin up to the top of his neck. He wore the regular pants, with slight length taken away, making them shorter then the others. His face was the only part of his body that is exposed in this uniform.

"Ichigo, this is Szayel Aporro Granz." Stated Aizen, introducing the two. "He is not yet an espada, but I would like you to treat him with respect." His gaze traveled to the arrancar. "I expect the same of you, Szayel."

The man bowed.

"Of course, Aizen-sama."

He led them to another room. This one had a ledge that stood out from the wall, overlooking a series of pits, that were sectioned off, with long winding staircases leading down to each. He knew by the reaitsu signatures, which pit held what. One held gillians and menos, the other a few adjuchas, and another pit-

From which he could _barely_sense any reaitsu.

"Whomever you choose will be made into an arrancar." Stated Szayel calmly. "I will conduct the procedure."

Aizen turned to go.

Regardless of whom Ichigo chose for his fraccion, it mattered not.

He was already ensnared within the web of deception.

"Happy hunting Kurosaki." The strawberry blond grunted in response, gesturing to the pit, the one that had many, albeit extremely weak reaitsu's coming from it.

"What about that one?" He asked Szayel.

The scientist snorted in disgust. "Oh, you wouldn't be interested in that one, Ichigo-san. That is where only the _weakest_ of hollows are allowed to stay."

He was no longer talking to the segunda, as he was simple not there anymore.

Ichigo was already headed down to the pit.

After a second, he beckoned for Szayel to follow.

"Then lets go see who's down there."

Together, they descended into the darkness.

**Who will Ichigo's fraccion be? You'll have to wait till next time...**


	3. A Bond Formed

Two figures headed towards the dark pit. They descended the stairs slowly, and seemed to be in no particular hurry to get there. "Really, you're making a mistake, Kurosaki-san." Insisted Szayel. "You wont find a single hollow worthy of being an arrancar down _there."_

He spat the last word with great distaste. It was as if _mentioning_the Menos- no, the mere concept of their _existence_, was utterly revolting, to hideous for him to contemplate.

"You forget, we were once menos ourselves." Commented Ichigo, a faraway look in his eyes. It had been so simple back then, yet so terrifying at the same time.

Szayel performed a very odd gesture, and stuck out his tongue in distaste. Though, the action itself was not directed to Ichigo, but rather, his _own_memories of that trivial existence. Clawing his way up to the top as an adjuchas...never able to sleep, for fear of being devoured, or worse, taken over by the thousands of souls he had devoured, and losing his sanity all-together.

A shudder passed through his lanky frame. He now returned his attention to Kurosaki. "No, I remember. However, I simply _detest _the thought of being so weak."

Ichigo inclined his head in respect. He wasn't entirely fond of those days himself, nor did he wish to ever revisit that time of pure beastial instinct. "As do I, Szayel Aporro."

The arrancar smiled slightly, and a glimmer of admiration shone in his amber eyes.

A small smile tugged at his lips.

"Ah, then you and I are of the same mind."

Ichigo chuckled.

Just like that, he had just secured another ally.

"So it would seem."

--

The hollows knew they were coming. The one with pink hair had been speaking loudly the entire time, something about them being_ too weak _to become arrancar. You'd have to be _deaf_ to miss their approach.

Several of the hollows growled, but made no move to swarm the duo.

There was good reason for this.

Fear.

It was sheer _terror_ that held the hollows in check.

The air was thick with the _other one's _reaitsu. The other one was tremendously strong, and it would be suicide to go after him. Clearly he was the stronger of the two, and he wasn't holding back any of his power, which now seemed to roll off him in waves. It was as if he were sucking all the Reiryoku out of this place, then feeding it into his reaitsu.

Several of the hollows stepped back a pace, when he turned to the pink haired man and spoke.

"They will do, Szayel. And if not, then I shall...

His eyes seemed to spark, and his next words were anything but pleasant.

"..._Release_ them from my service."

This seemed to quiet him, as he did not complain anymore, instead nodding once in agreement.

"Very well then."

The hollows would have pissed themselves, if it were at all possible.

A tense silence hung in the air, as the duo finished their descent, and stepped into the abysmal darkness. Ichigo could see several pairs of eyes staring at him, warily. Good, they were on their guard. They should be, in the presence of their superiors.

The man looked around the pit, but could not see properly. These human eyes required time to adjust to the dark expanse before him. When he had been an adjuchas, and then a vasto lorde, he had always possessed night vision.

"Szayel, please light it up." He asked, and it was if he was a kind human, not a ruthless vasto lorde turned arrancar.

Szayel held out his pointer finger, and a pale red light flickered above the digit, slowly illuminating the pit. Ichigo did the same, but he now balanced a redish black orb of light in his hand.

The room was lit in the eerie glow.

Hollows of all shapes and sizes were seen. Some were big, others were small, some had a decent amount of reaitsu...

Others had barely a _trace_ of it.

Ichigo's eyes gravitated to one in the farthest corner first.

Violet eyes glanced up from the mask, then looked away, as he approached.

"You there."

The hollows parted before him, as he headed to the centipede like hollow. It was only a menos, but that didn't particularly matter to him. It was her eyes. her pinkish violet orbs, that had attracted his attention. Something about those eyes reminded him _intensely _about that shinigami girl.

It skittered back a bit, as his hand touched at its face, or rather the mask...

Szayel snorted, grumbling silently to himself.

_"Coward. She knows not what Aizen-sama is offering her."_A scowl formed over his face, and his eyes turned cold, even as he spoke aloud. "You! Menos! Come forward, you bitch!" The centipede hollow remained where it was, and shook its head vehemently, drawing back even further.

Szayel hissed in annoyance, and his hand strayed to his zanpaktou.

The steel reflected dimly in the red light of his cero, seeming to sing as it escaped the sheathe in which he had been bound.

"You.... Don't make me force you."

For a moment, it looked as if the arrancar was simply going to kill the hollow that had sparked his interest.

"Szayel!" Barked Ichigo.

The arrancar blinked once, the shook his head, as if to clear it.

"My...apologies." He mumbled, sheathing his sword. He was unable to understand just why he had suddenly become so angry.

**Ichigo...**

Came the voice again.

_'You...?'_

**She fears your light. **

The segunda espada found himself _talking_ to the voice, despite the fact that doing so completely unnerved him. Having a disembodied voice in your head can to that to you.

He then recalled that Szayel had referred to the centipede as _female_.

_'She?' _

Honestly, how could you tell the difference?

A chuckle.

**Yes, _she...._**

Clenching his hand into a fist, the cero was dispelled, leaving Szayel to illuminate the pit. With no other sound other than his breathing...Kurosaki Ichigo knelt down, and remained silent.

**You must let her come to you.**

_'Tch. Whatever.'_

His eyes drifted shut, and he released a deep breath.

He was rewarded with a mild chuckle.

**Well, don't just sit there boy. Say something.**

_'Fine. Who the_ fuck _are you?'_

He felt a sense of approval from the voice.

**You never change, do you? You're still cut and dry as always...**

_'You speak riddles old man. Answer my question!'_

**Very well then. I am your zanpaktou. You may call me Zangetsu.**

The icy prescence began to fade.

**I will talk to you later...**

"I'm not going to hurt you." Ichigo found himself murmuring to the hollow. His eyes were still closed as he gestured to where she was. The bright sheen of her eyes was what gave her away.

Tentatively, she began to approach him.

He sensed her reaitsu drawing closer, and plastered a small smile over her face.

"That's right. Come to me."

A slight step forward.

"Yes... Come to me...

She was hypnotized by his voice, and drew steadily closer, despite the fact that her mind was _screaming_ at her to stay away from this person.

But it was too late.

The moment he spoke, she had been _trapped._

"I will you give you purpose and meaning in this life, menos." He whispered, knowing full well he had her by now...

His eye left eye darted to Szayel, and he nodded, almost imperceptibly.

"Do it."

The arrancar sprang with surprising speed, disappeared, then _reappeared _behind the menos. With one sharp chop of a stiffened hand, he struck at her segmented neck, and knocked her out.

The menos slumped, and was caught.

Ichigo smirked slightly.

One down.

But why settle for just one?

Szayel noticed the shark like smile that was creeping up upon the face of the segunda espada.

"Szayel, tell me...How many fraccion do you have?"

The scientist seemed to think for a moment. As he mused over the question, he almost idly released his cero, and in doing so, vaporized an unfortunate adjuchas in the process.

"Twelve, I suppose?" He shrugged, for his fraccion meant nothing to him. They were mere cannon foder, to be used as he saw fit. They had no significant lasting meaning to him at all.

If possible, Ichigo's grin grew wider, as he turned back to the hollows.

"In that case, I believe we are not yet done here."

--

When the pain faded, she awoke with a start, and found her body to be covered with a cold sweat.

She squeaked in surprise as the door opened.

"Eek!"

It was Ichigo who stepped in, and this is what he saw:

Revealed was, female Arrancar with long, pigtailed black hair and light-pink eyes, and she appeared to be almost as well-endowed as Orihime. Her delicate hands clung desperately to a sheet that was now wrapped around her body.

Panic was written all over her face, and she stumbled unsteadily on her new legs.

The remnants of her mask encircled her left eye in a sort of frame, although she _clearly_ had sight in both eyes, and has teeth still connected to it, though the hair ties might also be part of her mask fragments as the left one seemed to connect to the eyepiece on her left temple.

Ichigo idly mused that she was rather... attractive.

He smiled, and she felt her fears fade into nothingness.

"Ah, you survived. I am most pleased."

He tossed her some clothes, varying outfits Gin had sown.

That was a topic Ichigo was certain to torment him on in the near future.

"Get yourself dressed."

He then turned round, so his back was to her.

"I won't look."

She hastily dropped the sheet and rummaged through the outfits.

After about a minute, she spoke.

"I'm... done."

The uniform fit her....well.

It included a white, schoolgirl-themed skirt and what looked to be black boots that reach her thighs. She also wore a _very_ revealing shirt that ties to her neck and not much else except material to _barely_ cover her breasts.

At her side was a small sheathe, that seemed to house a dagger.

This annoyed him slightly, but this one fault wasn't enough to trouble him yet.

She fidgeted, blushing lightly under his undressing stare, his eyes seemingly piercing into the darkest depths of her soul. "Do you know why you are here?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"What is your name?" He asked.

"Loly, Ichigo-sama."

He smiled lightly.

"Well, Loly, you are here to serve under me and me alone."

She took this surprisingly well, and gave a low bow.

"Hai, Ichigo-sama."

"Do you have any objections to this?" He asked. He was not willing to tolerate weakness. If she was indecisive about her loyalties, split between him and Aizen...Then he had no use for her. He need a fraccion that would ONLY take orders from the segunda espda, a.k.a, himself.

He was pleasantly pleased when she shook her head, her twin ponytails swinging this way and that from the motion. Her tone was firm when she spoke, and her eyes reflected only the utmost of certainty, and the firmest of resolve.

"No, Ichigo-sama, I have no objections."

She gave a low bow.

He beckoned to her.

"Come then, we have work to do."

Her heels clattered on the pristine floor as she ran to keep up with him, as his pace was a fast walk.

"Where are we going, Ichigo-sama?"

This one was full of questions.

He now looked down at her, as she was slightly shorter than him.

"We are _going _to meet some of the other fraccion I have recruited." He explained nonchalantly as they walked down the corridor. "...Menoly and Luppi are first." Surprisingly, this did not seem to faze his fraccion, as he thought it might.

Ichigo made no move to stop her, when she instead looped one arm in his own, and brought her body just a _little_ closer to his own. "But...I'm still important to you, right?"

Oh, now he understood.

Loly was infatuated with him. This only made things better. If she held feelings for him, then she was even _less_ likely to betray him. If anything, it solidified his trust in her.

He spoke the words that he knew would make her swoon.

"Yes, Loly...I hold a very special place for you in my heart."

Loly beamed brightly at her master and moved closer to him, brushing against him lightly. So what if a hollow didn't have this 'heart' of which he spoke?

He had admitted that she, a mere fraccion, was important to him!

And that was enough.

--

The panther adjuchas bared his teeth in a snarl. Who the hell did this shinigami think he was talking to?!"Why the hell would I be interested in following you?"

Aizen remained calm and composed.

"You wish to become stronger do you not?"

A low hiss.

"Bullshit. Kurosaki got stronger on his own-

"And _Kurosaki _has joined me." Countered Aizen, a hint of smugness in his eyes, even as the eyes of the adjuchas tripled. The panther ground his claws into the sands, retracting and exposing them in slow succession. An annoyed growl escaped him.

"Do you not wish to become stronger than him, Grimmjow?"

The adjuchas spat a curse.

"Fuck. You're a sneaky bastard, ya know that?"

Aizen smiled deceptively.

Grimmjow was caught. He wanted to be the strongest, and Aizen was the only one who could provide him with further power. The worse part was... he knew it.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Replied Aizen, as he walked back to Las Noches...

With Grimmjow Jaggerjack in tow.

One potential espada down.

And five more to go.

**Sorry, there's no mention of Rukia and the others for now, as I needed to get things rolling with Ichigo and company. _Obviously_I am making Luppi a girl. And I'm rather proud of the way I flip-flopped Loly's personality. I think she's MUCH nicer this way. Note: _All_of his fraccion, including the ones I have yet to reveal, are female.**


	4. New allies, Old enemies

(Meanwhile: Sereitei)

Uneasy.

That was how Byakuya felt when Rukia requested a duel with him. Of course, he had refused. "No. Absolutely not," He had told her. But when Rukia came back and _begged_ on her hands and knees for his training-

He saw things in a different light. He knew all too well why she wanted the training. Half of Soul Society knew by now. She wanted to be the one to succeed him when he eventually stepped down from his position as head of the Kuchiki household. And though he did respect her motives...

That did _not _mean he was anxious to actually spar, or-Kami forbid- actually fight his little sister. Regardless if she was adopted or not, he had promised Hisana on her deathbed that he would protect Rukia. And until now, that had been rather a basic task, even if had been forced to break the promise to his parents.

Meting out justice was one thing...

But the bonds of a brother and sister was a different matter.

Of course, he would not be fighting to kill her...

But neither did he want to _wound_ her either.

It was quite the conundrum for Byakuya Kuchiki.

Currently, it was just basic shunpo practice. A game of tag, in which Rukia had to tap him on the shoulder to win. A basic task, easy to accomplish, right?

Wrong.

He had made it unique, in that he had made one stipulation about their little 'game'. Her feet had to be on the _ground _when she tagged him. Of course that _anything _but easy for her, due to her short stature. Add in the fact that he was both taller, and _faster _than she was...

And you had what _seemed _to be an impossible task.

It was something Yoruichi had tested him in, during one of their games of 'tag'...

And he had failed quite horribly, only realizing the purpose of the game _after_ her 'leave of abscence'. The sheer _simplicity _of it had stunned him speechless when he was younger. But now, older and wiser, he could truly appreciate its meaning. It was a brilliant, he had to admit that much. The perfect test of everything a shinigami was.

And he wanted to see if Rukia could outsmart him.

If she could outsmart him, then she was well on her way to becoming a brilliant strategist.

He jammed Senbonzakura into the ground, and left her there. He then instructed Rukia to do the same with her own zanpaktou. Confused, she did so, jamming its tip into the stone terrain.

He described what they would be doing today, and she seemed to grasp its basic meaning...

Until he _explained_ just what they would be attempting to do.

Almost immediately, a puzzled expression crossed her face.

"Faster than a shunpo? And I have to be on the _ground_ to tag your shoulder to do it?"

Byakuya nodded.

"Correct." He stated, now referring to the flash step in general. "As you know **Agility** (歩法, _hohō_; lit. step method) is an important skill for most shinigami. **Shunpo** (瞬歩, _Flash steps_), a movement technique that allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow, is implied to be part of this category."

Rukia was listening attentively by this point as he gave her the lecture.

"Another skill, though not necessarily related, our ability to _walk on air_ using spiritual power." When she appeared doubtful, he demonstrated this by taking a small jump, then standing an inch or so above the ground, as if there was something solid under his feet. "By collecting and solidifying _Reishi_beneath their feet, any shinigami can gain traction on thin air to either freely move about or to stop themselves from falling."

He gestured to Rukia.

"Give a try."

She did so, and wobbled at first...

But within five minutes, was able to walk on air proficiently. The sound of Byakuya clapping lightly was all the praise she needed. "Well done agility and speed of Hohō can be enhanced and improved through mastery of it, concentration, and training. It'll take awhile, but given some practice, you should be able to keep yourself in the air for long periods of time."

He released the energy, and allowed himself to land on the ground.

"Now, in reference to moving _faster _than a flash step... Such a technique simply does not have a name, but some shinigami already utilize it-

He appeared behind her.

Without a sound.

Her eyes tripled.

"As do I."

Rukia made a small sound of surprise, then backpedaled rapidly in a series of quick flash steps-

Byakuya's hand was already up.

"Hado 31-

Rukia let out a small gasp, then used another shunpo to get away from the kido based spell.

Too late, he was behind her again.

"Shokkaho."

The spell, a kido that Byakuya _deliberately_weakened just before impact, for fear of harming Rukia, slammed into her back with enough force to knock the air out of her.

_Now_, she was down. She lay there on the ground, smoke steaming from her back. Byakuya immediately regretted not using a lower level kido on his sister. He was about to end their training session... until Rukia got back up, albeit a bit shakily.

"I-I'm not done...She ground out through clenched teeth.

He gracefully vanished again.

"Hado 31-

Rukia suddenly whirled on him!

"Bakudo #4! Hainawa!"

A ropy length of golden energy lept from her fingertips, arcing around his hands tightly. This would be simple to break out of, but Rukia must have known that wouldn't hold him for long. She was already going into a secondary chant, and making the necessary motions.

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat!Bakudo _#9 _**Geki!** (撃, _Strike_)

A red light exploded from her hands and engulfed her brother, momentarily paralyzing him, on top of the rope that held fast his hands. But another chant was in progress.

"Bakudo Sixty one! **Rikujōkōrō!"** (六杖光牢, _Six Rods Prison of Light_)

From six different angles, rods of light now slammed into Byakuya, bringing him low to the ground.

Her hand now tapped his shoulder.

Byakuya sighed, as he broke out of the kido spells. "That technique is still beyond you, Rukia." True, she _had_ tagged him, but she had relied on her _kido expertise_, rather than actually utilizing any form of shunpo.

That was not the purpose of this exercise.

"We will have to try again tomorrow."

She seemed slightly disappointed.

Test one...

Failed.

--

"Rukia...are you _certain_ you want to go through with this?" He voiced his concerns over the second phase one last time.

The second regiment of her training was actual combat.

And he was her opponent.

She nodded firmly, and swept her shikai out in a flurry of white, then brought the blade out before her. "Hai, Nii-sama. Come at me with all you have." He knew that to fight without releasing his blade would be an insult to her now.

However, utilizing his bankai meant almost certain death for her.

He sighed, and held out his blade.

He would have to make do with shikai.

"Chire: Senbonzakura." The blade slowly scattered into cherry blossoms, petals which now hovered slightly before him.

He waited for Rukia to make the first move.

Her muscles tensed, then relaxed, as she drew in a deep cleansing breath. White reiryoku began to surge around her feet. Slowly at first, it crept over her knees.

_'Relax Rukia. You've done this five times already..._

It now silhouetted her lower body.

She closed her eyes, and felt the energy surge.

_'Don't panic. Don't falter.'_

"Ban-

Byakuya's eyes widened.

"Impossible....When did you-

His words bounced off her ears.

She was elsewhere.

She could not be touched....

_'You know how to do this...._

_--_

Kuchiki Rukia's soft midnight-blue eyes opened, and gazed in wonder at the beautiful, untainted world around her. There was a lake, and there was a sky—one of night... dark and stimulating, but oh-so-calm, for there was not a breath of wind in this intimate environment. The 'floor', which Rukia appeared to be sitting on, was an expansive lake, which stretched on for an eternity. The clear water was completely still, and when she gently moved her hand, soft ripples were created which floated outwards from her fingertips, and slowly shimmered away to nothingness.

She stood, and the water reacted with a new, vibrant display of swells. Rukia watched in rapt fascination as they transcended outwards, and slowly disappeared again. As they left her, she turned her head heavenward, keeping her lower body as still as possible. She was determined to make no more ripples on this untainted purity.

It was a challenge.

Rukia smiled softly to herself.

There was a brilliant moon drifting low in the sky. No clouds, nothing else. The water was colored thickly black, due to it being nighttime, and this created a perfect reflection of the scintillating silver orb suspended in the heavens. And every time there was even a slight disturbance on the surface of the water, that orb would shimmer and break apart.

_I'm here... in a world of calm perfection._

This was her mindscape.

Her eyes drifted shut as she inhaled the cool night air. This, this utter perfection, was her dream, truly. As she exhaled, her breath showed in a translucent cloud of white, but there was no breeze, at all. She twirled her hands in peculiar patterns, twisting and rotating her wrists. Her movements became more exaggerated as she continued, and soon she was sweeping her arms in splendid circles, tilting her head and swaying her entire upper body to the tuneless melody of her mind.

She began to dance, her earlier playful challenge forgotten, and as she slid her feet over the water, a sleek trail of ripples trembled in wake, expanding and broadening onto the infinity of the pure, clear lake. Her arms swept the air in wonderful patterns of swirls and shapes, as she traced every possible motif she could imagine. She drew the age-old ringlets of an old tree, the flight path of the great heron as it circles above a lake, and an unraveling swirl falling from heaven—the symbol of the Shiba clan.

And then, as she danced her silent dance... a tune began to play.

It emerged, so subtly, at first only a quiet humming that was barely audible. It filled her entire body, warming her blood. Slowly, the soft, bittersweet melody rose in a slow crescendo, accompanied by the gentle sound of air rushing against cloth. Rukia opened her eyes, and turned to where the gentle, sweet song was emanating from.

In the very center of the moon, something stirred, and began to magnify, emerging from the heart of the moon. Rukia's eyes were wide as she looked on in pure wonder; a white form, closely resembling a swan, drifted towards her. The figure glided forwards on a tapered piece of white silk, and as it sailed nearer, it began to resemble more and more of a human shape.

A woman's shape.

The woman in white skimmed down her silk road, descending from the heavens. Everything about her profile—her face, her clothes, her every curve and movement—was perfect. She had no vertices's... Everything of her was a smooth, languid grace, like she had been painted with one long, fluid brush stroke.

Her skin, and her hair, and her silken dress, were all pure and untainted white. She gently brushed the surface of the water as she landed, and then pushed up again, rising into the air. A single ripple materialized from where she touched the water, and ice began to form, creeping outwards as the ripple.

And then, she danced. Suspended in the air by some unknown force, she twirled and arched with the graceful fluidity of a cat, the beauty of a swan, and the cool, passionate serenity of the moon. Like a goddess, like falling snow.

She finally twirled down to the water surface, landing gently on both feet. The crisp frost immediately appeared and crept outwards, in a much wider radius than before. Rukia instinctively took two hasty steps backwards, avoiding the ice spider-webbing towards her. It stopped, just before her foot. Her eyes snapped up again to meet those of that ethereal goddess's. Even her irises and her pupils were a cold, silvery white.

"Rukia..." Her voice was soft, yet echoed a great divinity.

Rukia swallowed hard, as the woman smiled and extended a slender hand.

"Shiraykui....

"Come. Let us dance together again."

"B-But- The question died as she felt her breath catch in her throat. That otherworldly deity flew forwards in an elegant leap, landing directly in front of Rukia. She felt the water beneath her feet crackle as it froze over, and then the icy sensation of the woman's touch as she placed a delicate hand on her shoulder.

A warm smile.

"Come, lets surprise your brother."

Rukia nodded and took the hand-

And it began.

--

Violet eyes snapped open, just as the earth began to quake.

Once it had reached its maximum, she began to force it down as before, suppressing it...

And succeeded in doing so.

"BANKAI!" The word ripped from her mouth!

The ground beneath her feet abruptly froze in a mile wide circle, forcing Byakuya to jump back a step. Less than a second later, the ice itself drew in from the circle, and swallowed her up in the thick, opaque crystal.

He landed, and looked on, fearful that she had just killed herself.

For a second, she just remained like that.

Frozen.

Then...

She barked an unheard command behind the ice, and the iceberg _exploded. _

Steam, dust and snow were flung everywhere

When Rukia was revealed, she now stood a good head or so taller.

Clutched tightly in her right hand was a massive, double edged scythe. Her hair had turned lavender, as had her eyes. Her sandals had dissapeared sometime during the transformation. Her hakama was no longer black, instead it was the purest shade of white, and red on the inside. It was far from natural, tattered at the sleeves, shoulders, and even more so at the bottom, showing off long and slender legs.

If anything else, her body had grown as well.

She had...

Matured.

She now looked like a full grown woman. A tattered yellow sash was tied around her waist, which now strained against the kimono-like robes she was wearing. The upper half of her new attire was pushed out quite a bit as well. Basically she now rivaled Rangiku in _that _department.

**"Sode no Shirayuki: Kyousei Koori-hime."(Great flowing Ice Princess) **She murmurred, as the snowflakes stopped falling. She rose off her knees, and stood tall, with a confidence she had never displayed before.

Byakuya's gobsmacked expression was rather amusing, or so the woman once known as Rukia Kuchiki seemed to think. A small smile curved her full lips upward, as she didn't have to worry about her inner hollow trying to possess her here. It was only able to verbally abuse her, thanks to all the latent energy here, energy which she could easily draw upon to shoo its influence away.

"Shall we continue, Nii-sama?" Purred the princess.

--

(Meanwhile Hueco Muendo)

Ichigo wisely _knocked_ on the door this time.

He had made the mistake of NOT doing that the second time, and as a result, had nearly taken a panicked cero to the face by his newest fraccion, Menoly. Luckoly Loly had calmed the spooked girl down, then introduced Menoly as her twin sister.

In contrast to her sister, Menoly was quieter, and wore an outfit that was a good deal more conservative. Like Loly, she had the remnants of her mask around her eye, and both of them were green. Her hair was spikier, and a blondish color. She also had a segmented choker around her neck.

When Ichigo tried to speak to her, Menoly had hidden behind her sister, and it was left to Loly to speak for her twin. Menoly had also promised to serve him, saying that "I'll go wherever Loly goes. "As it was, the blond was a skittish little thing, blushing darkly every time Ichigo caught her looking his way.

"Come in." Sighed a silky voice, after he had knocked five times.

Ichigo walked in without delay, with Loly and Menoly right behind him.

Before him was another girl, or in this case, a young woman, except in this case, she was already clothed, and looked to be bored if anything. She was tall, around his height, and appeared youthful with short black hair and a rather feminine face. Just above her left eyebrow was a row of three pink stars. The remains of her hollow mask (a top row of teeth) rests on the left side of his head. Her attire consists of long sleeves that fall past her hands, hiding them, giving her a rather comical look.

Her eyes were a lavenderish color, magenta possibly.

She seemed to ignore Ichigo and the twins...

A fact that Loly did _not_ take kindly to.

"Oi! Whaddya think you're doing?!"

"Sitting." Replied the woman kindly. "Perhaps you should try it sometime?"

Her resounding outburst caught Ichigo unwares. "BITCH!" For in that moment, Loly's reaitsu flared, reaching nearly _half_ of his own maximum. That in of itself was a rather impressive feat.

_'She's stronger than she looks. I'd better keep her close by...._

Not showing anyone his devious plotting, he turned to Menoly, who looked almost..._embarrassed _at Loly's actions. "Does she...do this often?" He murmured this so only she could hear it. Menoly nodded, and ran a hand down over her face. "Yeah...Loly-chan doesn't like being ignored." Ichigo made note of this as well.

"It will take some getting used to." He stated simply.

Menoly nodded.

"Are these two yours?" Asked the woman gently, as if the sound of Loly's angry shrieking wasn't bothering her. She remained entirely unflustered only taking action to shove Loly back a pace when the girl got too close. "They're quite energetic.

Ichigo scratched the back of his head.

"Unfortunately." He grumbled, hoping Loly would take the obvious hint and stop.

Unfortunately, she did no such thing.

"Ichigo-sama, you can't really be serious?!" She protested, jabbing one finger at the unnamed woman. "She isn't showing you any respect!" But he was serious, and now Loly was _bothering_Ichigo. His intrigue over her sudden power increase had faded when her reaitsu level dipped back to normal.

Now, she was getting on his nerves, and annoying him greatly.

He did not like to be annoyed.

"Shut up." He spat coldly, the words conveying more than any scream ever could. Loly went silent almost immediately. Ichigo now looked down at her with disdain. "In the future, control your temper."

He now turned to the woman.

"I apologize for her behavior."

The woman rose from her seat, and looked down at Loly.

"Its perfectly alright. After all, she's only a child."

Loly turned a deep dark crimson at this polite insult, and looked about ready to tear someones head off. Although whether she was cherry red it was with embarrassment or anger, one could not be sure.

Clearly, these two were not going to get along.

She extended her hand to Ichigo.

"The name's Luppi." A small smile now. "I suppose I'm one of your fraccion now?"

Ichigo nodded.

She smiled, and took one step, crossing the distance between them. "Hmm... Her eyes ran over his form, as if searching for any sort of weakness. Ignoring the fact that Loly was _right next to Ichigo_, she momentarily brought her face close to his, her nose brushing against his.

After a second or so, she seemed content, when he did not flinch from her gaze.

"I think...the two of are going to get along just fine...Ichigo-kun." She purred, upon pulling away. This one was dangerous, and he knew it. He'd have to keep an eye on her as well. But as of right now, he could only nod again, as he was currently concentrated on keeping Loly from going berserk on his newest ally.

Would tracking down the original espada be this difficult?

He hoped not.

"Ah, Menoly, Luppi, could you excuse us for a minute?"

He led Loly out the door, and _slammed _it behind him.

With no one to see him, he could finally deal with her.

His hand suddenly lashed out, pinned her against the wall, and tilted her chin upward sharply, as he held it.

"You. You are not to do that to anyone _ever_ again." His instructions were firm. She opened her mouth to protest, but his vicious growl cut her off before she could even speak. "Listen to me! You are not to treat anyone like that unless they are your enemy _and my own_." She began to look away, but he jerked her gaze back to him.

"Do you understand me, _fraccion_?"

His hand strayed to the blade on his back, when she bit her lip and did not answer.

"Because if you don't-

She nodded tearfully, panicking as he began to pull out the blade.

"Suimasen!! I'm sorry Ichigo-sama! I'm sorry!" He was rather surprised when she suddenly glommed him, and started crying into his hakama, her tears soaking the pristine fabric through and through. "Please forgive me! I'll never do it again, _I swear!"_

Briefly, his arms wrapped around her, and she nuzzled her head into his chest. He released her, placed both hands on her shoulders, and drew her back a pace.

"Let this be a lesson to you. I simply cannot have you acting like a spoiled child." He then surprised her by reverting to his old self, and gently whiping away a tear from her right eye. "There there. Now don't cry, you're important to me, remember?"

She nodded at this, and sniffled.

"'Kay."

"There. Now, lets go."

"Go?" She hiccuped one last time as she dried at her eyes.

"Of course." He responded smoothly."We still have to meet the other three...

He patted her on the shoulders, then led her back into the room, with an arm around her waist. The motion seemed to soother her, so he kept his hand there.

Upon entering, he addressed the other two fraccion.

"Alright you two, c'mon."

--

"No shit?" The one eyed adjuchas seemed highly skeptical, and the boar beside him remained silent. "Yer tellin' me if I serve ya, you'll make us _stronger_?"

"The only way for you know is to come with me." Stated Aizen, turning to mantis like adjuchas and the boar followed him soon afterwards. These two were by far the easiest ones to reel in. It took very little to get them to join.

This Nnoitra Jiruga would make a _fine _8th espada.

With that taken care of, he decided to ignore the reaitsu he felt leaving this world. It mattered not if he returned. In fact, doing so would actually work to his advantage. It was all part of the plan.

His attention working elsewhere, he cast his senses out. He could now feel a least six reaitsu's near Ichigo. Three of which were within close physical contact, and the other three in their rooms, to which he was heading with his current fraccion.

_'So, you've chosen six fraccion, Kurosaki?'_

The fool, he was now that much easier to control....

--

(Sereitei)

Yamamoto could not help but smile as the man was brought before him.

"So, you've finally returned...

He wore the standard Shinigami uniform, in ragged condition and without any footwear, with a fur coat draped over himself. The coat consists of several Hollow masks adorned on it; one (resembling a gazelle's skull) His red hair was scruffy, and seemed to stick out at every end.

His calm brown eyes were warm and cool, and strapped to his sash was a zanpakutō. It bore a green hilt and a square tsuba, which waschipped, likely showing that he had been in many fights prior to his return here.

....Ashido Kano. It is good to have you back."

The redhead smiled lightly.

"It's good to be back, taichou."

"What have you observed?"

Ashido's smile faded.

"Some very disturbing things."

Yamamoto nodded in understanding.

"Very well then. It is best that the other captains hear of this."

**Three more fraccion to go...And I think you guys and gals can guess at who they are. And yes, this takes place before Neliel lost her memories. Though I'm not sure I'm willing to let Nnoitra get away with that this time. I also brought Ashido back as a protagonist to help out Rukia.**

**Hope ya'll liked her bankai form! If you've watched the third bleach movie, then you know what she looks like...But needless to say, I made a few 'adjustments.'**

**Next chapter: Rukia's horrified discovery! Ichigo's alive?! **


	5. Foreboding Night? Neliel's Farewell

"Kuchiki-taichou!"

Byakuya was shaken from his stupor, when none other then Abarai Renji appeared before him. If possible, the lieutenant looked to be even more tense than usual. That, and the fact that he was up and about while still wounded-

Probably meant Yamamoto had called the captains for a meeting.

"Renji, you should be resting."

Snarling, the redhead turned at the mention of his name.

"Look, I'm perfectly fine you-

And got a good, wholesome look at the _new _Rukia.

For a moment he just stared, gobsmacked.

_Ho-ly...._

Abarai looked her over up and down, _twice, _to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Rukia?! What the hell happened to you?!"

The unseated shinigami rolled her eyes.

"Honestly Renji, you really need to act your age."

"Abarai, I would thank you _not_to stare at Rukia like that." This came from Byakuya, who by now was oozing killer intent towards his lieutenant. Rukia caught where Renji's eyes were staring, and she flushed a bright red.

"ECCHI!"

--

Everyone else looked to be equally surprised when Rukia walked into the captains meeting, dragging an unconscious Renji behind her. The redhead's face looked to be one massive bruise. True, most of them knew that Rukia had achieved bankai, but NONE of them had actually seen it firsthand.

And to beat a lieutenant that had achieved bankai...

Such a feat was unheard of!

She had become more assertive as of late, and had taken an active role in knowing the happenings of the Sereitei. She silently took a seat by the doorway, propping herself up against a pillar, her scythe slung over her back.

However, she was more fixated on a different individual.

For a moment, her heart skipped a beat.

_'I-Ichigo?' _

But then she saw his hair and his blue eyes.

No, this wasn't Ichigo.

But damn, he'd had her fooled for a second.

When Yamamoto realized that Rukia would not be leaving, he sighed and turned to Ashido.

"Now, my friend, please tell us what you have seen."

What Rukia heard made her blood run cold, as Ashido gave a description that perfecty matched-

"N-No...

--

(Hueco Muendo)

A low curse escaped his pale lips as he fiddled with the gadget. A strand of black hair blew into his face, and he blew it away. His steely grey eyes were focused soley on this task. He knew if he were to be caught down here, then he was _dead_.

He'd eluded capture thus far, but this was the worst possible place to be. But he had to come down here. This was were the one known as Szayel housed his communications equiptment.

A growl tensed him up, and he steeling himself, he reached for his blade.

Its handle was a dull silver worn with the edge _down_like a tachi, instead of the edge _up_like a katana. The hilt itself was a deep onyx black, and at the end of the hilt a tassel similar to Ichigo's original zanpaktōu hung.

One of Szayel's fraccion emerged through the doorway.

The mysterious man yanked the zanpaktou free of its sheathe. He somehow found it necesarry to whisper his release, even though his resurreccion would likely make him a beacon for miles around.

"Scorch: Fenix!"

All that could be seen was shadows, as a black rain poured out of the blade, then a beastial shape smote the fraccion down in an explosion of gore, ripping out its throat before the thing could scream.

Landing on the ground, it reverted back to normal, and fumbled at the controls with further haste.

"Blast! Work damnit, work-

A loud earsplitting screech, then the screen finally cleared.

When no one came to investigate, the arrancar pumped a hand into the air, silently thanking kami.

"Good...Now, where is she...

(Earth)

_"Kurosaki-kun, you know I had a lot of things I wanted to do… I want to be a teacher…I also want to be an astronaut…and also make my own cake shop…I want to go to the sweets bakery and say "I want one of everything", ohhhh I wish I could live life five times over…Then I'd be born in five different places, and I'd stuff myself with different food from around the world…I'd live five different lives with five different occupations…and then, for those five times…_

A slender hand touched the inscription that read his name. A lone tear was shed for him.

..._I'd fall in love with the same person…"_

Standing before his grave, Inoue Orihime sighed for what felt like the millionth time.

It probably was.

She honestly didn't know why she was talking to a gravestone. Supposedly it made her feel better.

She set the flowers down, and turned to go-

_Orihime, please stay. _A voice asked her.

She started in surprise, as a being began to take shape, out of the air itself.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

Much to her dismay, it was not. But that is not to say that she was disappointed. No, far from it, for now the being took human shape, into a very familiar face.

The face of Sora Inoue.

But why was he wearing all white?

"B-Brother?!"

Sora wore a smile.

_I'm glad to see you're doing well. _

She opened her mouth to speak, but he shook his head.

_I haven't much time, Orihime. They're coming for me._

"W-What? Are you in trouble?"

His image seemed to flicker, now peppered with static, as if she was getting a bad reception.

_Listen... to me...Orihime!_

He fiddled with the controls again, trying to expand the frequency as best he could.

_You need to...tell this to Soul Society! __Ichigo Kurosaki...is-_

Silvery grey eyes tripled in terror, as she saw someone creeping up behind the image of her brother.

"Behind you!"

Sora whirled-

The image went blank.

And it was as if she never even saw it.

--

"So, this is our little rodent." Declared two voices, and Sora fell back from the gash that would have ripped him in half, had he not evaded it. As it was, the screen he was using was split in two. Acting on his natural instinct, he fired a retalitory Bala from his right hand-

And that was what saved his life.

He was rewarded with a screech of pain. The blade, which had been an inch from slitting his throat, now bounced backwards, smoke stemming from the steel.

Sora Inoue, formerly known as Acidwire, and tenth espada, turned to find another arrancar standing behind him.

In place of a normal head, this one had a large, glass capsule filled with red liquid and two floating heads. The two heads are both tattooed with the number 9 and tend to talk in tandem when revealed, giving the effect of two people speaking in turn. His outfit like most Espada was customized; he wore a dress garb that covered his entire body as opposed to the normal jacket and _hakama_. He also wore a frilly nobles' coat and two white gentleman's gloves.

Sora could not help but cringe at the sight of this creature.

It was because he knew it.

"Aaroniero Arruruerie. What are you doing here?"

**"Hmm, I could ask you the same question." **It rumbled, with an odd duo of voices, as they began to circle each other. **"I believe Aizen-sama told you and the other espada to either join him or leave...**

It was the heads.

They were speaking.

The upper head spoke with a deep voice while the other spoke in a high-pitched, child-like voice. Whatever this thing was, it was a mere shadow of his former comrade, and quite frankly, disgusted him.

Fenix was out of its sheate just in time, catching the strike aimed for his legs. But surprsingly, less than a second later, he was nearly overwhelmed by the strike. Springing back, he narrowly avoided losing his right arm. He did not wish to explore Aaorniero's abilities further. But if each of his heads had a level of individuality, then perhaps...

Holding out both hands, he let the energy build.

Once the spheres grew enough to be visible, he moved his arms around in a circle, gearing up for a chant. As he spoke the words, his arms began to move, faster and faster, as if he were creating a light show.

"_In my right hand, I hold the stone that connects the borders of worlds. In my left hand, I hold the blade that binds existence. A bank of clouds comes, Striking us and the crested Ibis!_

The second he finished, he slapped both palms, containing the cero's, into the ground.

When the smoke cleared, Sora was gone.

As was the rip he had created.

--

Ichigo Kurosaki did not know whether these three were a blessing...

Or a _curse_.

"Apache, Sun-Sun, Mila-Rose... Can you three _please_...

He whirled on his heel and hiss venemously. "-Stop trying to kill each other?!"

On one hand, they were absolutely gorgeous, and had each sworn their loyalty to him, right off the bat.

Apache was a tomboyish Arrancar with heterochromia, meaning she has two differently colored eyes, one blue and one orange; the latter eye has a red outline around it. Her shoulder length hair is blue and her mask fragment is on the top of her head with a horn in the middle much like that of a unicorn. She wears the white standard Arrancar uniform but it is customized with shoulder length sleeves and gloves. The position of her Hollow hole was unknown.

They'd gone to her room first, and right off the bat she had cursed at him for changing her against her will. Only when he'd threatened to rip off her mask, had she obeyed.

Sun-Sun was a beautiful, slender female arrancar with long flowing green hair and three pink dots just below her right eye. Her mask remnants created a three hair clip-like extensions on the right side of her hair. She wore a furry black necklace around her neck. Her uniform consisted of a long white dress with long sleeves, somewhat like Luppi's, that extend well past her hands and with a single slit in each one. This of course had her at odd's with Luppi, whom Ichigo was beginning to think was the most mature of his fraccion.

Honestly, nothing seemed to faze her.

And lastly, there was Mila-Rose. She stood out for many a good reason. She was a dark-skinned Arrancar who dresses like an Amazon warrior of all things, although he didn't even know what an 'amazon warrior' was. Her mask fragments form a three-sectioned crown around her head and a thick necklace. Her Hollow hole was positioned midway between her navel and breasts.

Honestly, how could anyone act so childish?!

Luppi laughed into her sleeve.

"Calm down Ichigo-kun. It'll-

-Take some getting used to?" He replied with a scary face.

"Precisely." She answered with a similair expression, one that surprised him at first.

He snickered a bit, and sighed.

"Nothing fazes you."

He was about to say more-

That is, until he felt the surge of reaitsu, followed by several more.

He exchanged a look with his fraccion.

"What was-

_Everyone, please come to the hall immediately._

Aizen.

Great. Now what did he want?

--

Ichigo entered the meeting room, as did his fraccion.

"Welcome, Ichigo." Aizen spoke from the head of the table. He pretended to be surprised when he saw the number of fraccion the vasto lorde had selected for himself. "It seems you kept Szayel busy."

"So what if I did?" He was not granted the knowledge that he had ruffled Aizen's feathers. If only slightly. "Now is that any way to address an ally?" He was met with silence.

_'You're no ally, Aizen. I see right through you and your schemes. To me, you're just one more obstacle in my path. _Ichigo just then noticed the fact that there were four new arrancar sitting at the table.

"Who the hell are these clowns?"

Aizen frowned slightly.

"These _clowns_, Ichigo, are your fellow espada. They deserve your respect."

Apache seemed to disagree.

"The look like losers to me."

"Pfft. Look at all those chicks. Barely a day in your new body, and yer already just _tryin'_to get laid." Snorted a familair voice, before Kurosaki could tell the hotheaded fraccion to zip it. However, once he heard that voice-

Brownish yellow eyes became a pure sickly yellow color as he recognized the speaker.

"Grimmjow."

The first had light blue hair and eyes, which have blue/green lines below them similar to the eye markings on the _Panthera_ genus of cats. His attire consisted of a white _hakama_ and a black sash; his white jacket was ragged with an upturned collar. The inner lining is black, the sleeves are rolled up, and he wore it open, leaving his chest revealed. The remains of his Hollow mask consist of the right jawbone, and his hollow hole has moved to his abdomen.

He grinned toothily.

"Long time no see, Kurosaki."

"Pfft. You _know_these losers?" Snorted the second unamed arrancar.

He was arguably one of the tallest characters in the room, dwarfing even Ichigo by at least a foot. His height was emphasized by his very thin and lanky body. His face was set in a huge unpleasant smile which revealed his upper-teeth. His black short black hair hung messily past his shoulders concealing the left side of his face along with a large white eyepatch.

His clothing consists of a modified Arrancar jacket with an opening starting at the neckline showing most of his midsection and closes at his waist. He wears the standard hakama but the ends of his pant-legs close inside his boots which are extended and curved at the end making it look like he is wearing wicked-witch boots. Also, his collar was upturned.

Mila-rose soon realized why that grin wasn't pleasant, as she caught him staring at her quite openly, without the slightest hint of reservation. She bared her teeth in a snarl, hand straying to the massive sword on her back.

The lanky arrancar seemed entirely unfazed.

"Hey, the more the merrier."

Ichigo let his reaitsu spike as warning.

"Nnoitra, That is enough."

The third individual said this.

He was relatively short and slender, yet fairly muscular, male with a melancholic appearance, short, messy black hair, silver skin, and green eyes with slit pupils. He has cyan lines that descend from his eyes, making it appear as if he is crying. He wears typical Arrancar clothes: a white jacket, black sash, and a white hakama. However, his jacket seemed to have longer coattails than others. Like most other Arrancar, he possesses remnants of his former life as a Hollow in his appearance. His Hollow hole was at the base of his throat. The remainder of his hollow mask lies on top of his head, forming a broken helmet.

He merely met Ichigo's eyes with his own.

"And you are?"

"Ulquiorra Schiffer."

"Ichigo Kurosaki."

The two refused to break the staring contest for a moment, but reluctantly, each nodded his own greeting.

The last was a giant, dark-skinned Arrancar with an odd, ridge-lined cranium. He had long, bushy sideburns and a thin ponytail, but aside from that, he wasbald. He also has red markings under his eyes. Like all Arrancar, he had a large hole signifying his previous time as a Hollow in his chest. What remains of his Hollow mask is the jawbone (complete with teeth), which rests on his chin.

Ulquoirra looked at the brutish hollow with indifference.

"And that would be Yammy."

Ichigo immediately dismissed the big one as too stupid to make an alliance with. Ulquiorra seemed shrewd enough to understand what was going on here, so the likelihood was good. Grimmjow, well teaming up with him _was_a possibility. But as for Nnoitra... no way in the nine circles of hell!

He honestly didn't know if it was the fact that Nnoitra was hitting on _his _fraccion, being a jerkwad, or both. But regardless, he simply did not trust this octava espada, as Aizen had just declared Nnoitra's rank. Judging by the way everyone held himself, he'd have to make a guess at Grimmjow being the sexta, Yammy was probably the tenth, judging by his silence...

Ulquiorra _had_to be high up there, as he was exuding an air of casual indifference. After hazarding a guess, Ichigo put him at being the cuarta espada.

Ichigo saw Neliel at the table, and she waved for him to sit by her.

He returned the greeting, and took his place next to her-

Shoving a massive amount of killer intent in Nnoitra's direction.

"Good. Now that you're all here, we can get down to business of our newest member, and traitor."

Grimmjow scowled. "Traitor? The hell're you talking about?"

But Aizen ignored him, his attention focused on Ichigo. Or rather, his reaction. "His name is Sora Inoue, and he was one of the original espada." On the outside, Ichigo displayed no visible reaction. However, _internally_, the gears were beginning to turn.

Something clicked, and his eyes suddenly widened, as a blur of images passed through his mind. Most of which were that of a girl with long orangish red hair...

And himself.

_'In-oue?' _

The pain started again, and it this time, it was all he could do to keep a straight face. However, he was almost certain that Neliel and Stark saw the strain it was taking on him. His mind now roiled with questions. Urgh! He knew that name! It was just like with that shinigami! What the hell was going on here?!

"So who's the new guy?" Grimmjow.

Ichigo ignored Aaroniero's entrance.

**We will speak of this tonight.**

--

"No...

Rukia could not believe her ears.

No, she didn't want to believe them.

She wouldn't.

She couldn't.

It was simply too much for her mind to bear.

Ashido had just given them an almost _perfect _description of Ichigo.

And he had been seen with Aizen.

Her worst fears were realized.

He was alive.

And he was now a _hollow_.

He was the enemy.

A few heads jerked around as she burst through the doors, in her haste to be gone from here. She didn't care that there were other topics of mention, such as the impending threat of the Bount. She didn't listen to Renji when he told her to wait. The tears began to fall as she ran, but never once did she slow her pace. She lost track of just how far she ran, but when she came back to her senses, she was standing on the hill of the Sokyokou.

She was briefly tempted to throw herself off the cliff...

But it was her body that refused to move.

Probably her inner hollow preventing her from doing anything stupid. She bit her lip until she thought it would bleed. Finally, a heart-wrenching sob escaped her breast, and she collapsedon her knees, bawling into her hands.

If anything, she _truly_wanted Aizen dead now.

--

Urahara Kisuke looked up from his book as the door slid open.

"Welcome to-

His cheerful demeanor dropped when he saw who his 'customers' were.

It was Orihime.

And she'd brought Tatsuki with her.

He could tell just by looking at their eyes.

They knew.

Ichigo hadn't been killed by a soul reaper. In truth, his current fate was much, much worse. No memories of his former life, duped by Aizen, and twisted into a cold blooded killer. Not to mention a full fledged hollow.

In a sense, it would have been much better if Ichigo _did _die.

"I want you to tell me the truth, Kisuke-san." Orihime asked this politely-

However, Tatsuki was much more blunt, grabbing the shop owner by his collar. When Jinta and Ururu protested to this, she gave them a glare that would make Zaraki Kenpachi blanch.

"What the hell did you do to Ichigo?!"

"I didn't do anything." He tried his best to maintain his innocence. Alas, he soon realized just why Yoruichi called him a crappy liar. This much was made evident when Tatsuki rocked him hard in the face with a right hook.

"Tell us the truth!"

"You might not like what I'm about to tell you."

Tatsuki growled and rolled up her sleeve.

"You might not like what I'm about to _do to you!"_

A sigh escaped the blond.

"No need for violence. I'll tell you...

--

Ichigo was confused. He had a terrible headache, he felt sick and the voice was talking to him again.

**Ichigo.**

The segunda esapda looked over his shoulder, as that was where the voice had come from- And that was where a tall man clad in a black swirling robe stood. He stared that at the spirit for a second.

Greeeeeaaaaat!

Now he was seeing things!

"Ichigo?"

He blinked, and it was as if someone walked _through_ the apparition.

He blinked a few times, before he recognized her.

But then again, she was easily recognizable after all.

It was Neliel.

He stared at her for a second, before looking back outside.

"So...

"So what?" He grumbled, as she sat on the railing next to him. "I just came out here for some air."

"Its nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah...I should get going. Loly's probably looking for-

Her voice froze him in place.

"You're not leaving until you talk, Ichigo."

Her hand, gentle and smooth on his own, pulled him back to the railing.

"Please, tell me what's bothering you."

"Damnit. You really wanna know?"

A firm nod. "Yes I do."

"It'll take awhile."

A soft smile, as her viridian green eyes seemed to sparkle in the perpetual moonlight.

"I have time."

**Next up: Spill the beans, Ichigo!**


	6. Homecoming

**Credit goes to XXXG-01D the author of tyrant lizard for the convo between Urahara and Yoruichi. I just edited it with his permission. The rest is mine tho! Review please! I worked hard on this! And get ready to see Hollow Rukia! And the bount arc will be depicted differently in places.**

Tatsuki wore a look of grim determination as she snapped off a few practice kicks at her opponent. "Gah, hold still Chad!" The freshman did no such thing, sidestepping the kicks easily enough, but the massive swathe of energy that _accompanied_each kick had him on his toes. Tatsuki seemed to realize this and after using a feint attack to draw him in, _viciously_ whipped her left leg around by launching into a spin kick.

Chad caught the kick on his arm, and sparks flew from the powerful collision. Both struggled to maintain the energies required for the struggle, but finally, their powers resonated with enough force-

To send them both flying in the opposite directions.

Tatsuki dug her heels into the stone, slowing her skid, and Chad used his arm to slow his own retreat. Both combatants were drenched in sweat by now, but it was Tatsuki who clamored to her feet first, ready to renew her assault.

Springing like a cat, she was rewarded with the her leg meeting Chad's right arm. He winced in pain, grunted, then threw her off before she could fully bring her other leg around to strike.

Urahara had broken the news to Uryuu as well as Chad. It was important, considering the Boun had nearly gotten Ishida before. However, without his powers, there wasn't very much he could do.

Needless to say, they were outraged at being lied to. However, at Orihime's behest, they had simmered down. Now their goal was simply to get their friend back. And to do that, they needed to at least be on the level of a vasto lorde.

Meaning they had a LOT of training to do.

Tatsuki however, _still_couldn't believe Ichigo was one of those hollow thingies. When she had been given the news...Well lets just say she didn't take it very well. Neither had Urahara's face. However, her bout of grief stricken rage had served to awaken something she never knew she possessed, yet had lain dormant all along.

Power.

"One!"

A boulder several feet away simply disintegrated as a swathe of energy grazed its ancient surface. Sure, she was strong, or rather, she was strong for a _human. _Urahara had explained the whole speel of shinigami and hollows to her. And quite frankly, she was a little weirded out. Especially by his crash course in hollows.

Like Chad, that was what her powers resembled.

That of a hollow.

However, unlike Chad, her armour pertained more to her legs. Currently, they were both encased in skintight armor from her feet to a few inches past her knees. It was similar to that of Chad's shield arm. He called it **Brazo Derecha de Gigante** (巨人の右腕 ブラソ・デレチャ・デ・ヒガンテ, _Spanish for Right Arm of the Giant_). In both cases, The armor was colored black with a red stripe going down the center and two white stripes surrounding it.

Unfortunately, Tatsuki wasn't particularly an linguistics _expert_, so she had decided it best to leave her abilities unamed. (That is, until she could think of a better sounding title)

However, she preferred to kick with her left leg, and had noticed that in doing so, her attacks were more powerful on that end. At first, some concern had been expressed by Yoruichi, Urahara's talking cat. (She hasn't seen Yoruichi's human form yet) That she would eventually transform into a full hollow.

Not that Tatsuki had ever _seen_one, but she had been seing ghosts lately... "Two!" Another kick, this one from the right leg, cut a mile wide swath of energy into the ground, causing the stone floor to smoke and spit steam.

Chad, who had been helping her train, gaped for a second.

"Impressive."

An idea hit her, followed by a small grin.

Building up power in her legs, she began to run, until she had topped out at max speed. Once she had built up enough speed, she began jumping, even as she ran. And with each leap, she got more airtime.

Chad hadn't the _slightest_ clue of what she was trying to do.

"What are you-

"THREE!" She cried out, performing her third consecutive takeoff-

And she was off like a rocket!

She let out a whoop as her leap carried her into the air and then some!

If anyone was surprised, it was Tatsuki. As she went, the armor on her legs spread a bit, enough to cover the skirt of her high-school uniform and cling to her hips. The skirt itself was still there, it was just the color of the armor. The decoration itself changed a bit, the lines swirling in a bit of a jagged pattern. Her lower half looked like it had been dipped in a can of black and red paint. White reiatsu streamed from the back of her feet, and it almost looked as if she really was flying.

The wind whipped at her hair and she soon realized something. She couldn't stop! Panicking, she cast her arms out for balance. It was an attempt to steer herself towards the ground, and...

And it was an attempt that failed miserably. Contrary to her takeoff, which had been lucky at best, her landing was far less controlled than her takeoff. Unable to fully control her descent, Tatsuki came down in a tumble after trying to dig her feet in. She fell over in a groaning heap.

Despite Orihime's cheers, the martial artist sweatdropped as she got back up, dusting herself off. Her head was still spinning, and she felt like she was about to lose her recently eaten lunch.

"This... is gonna take some getting used to." She grumbled.

Yoruichi Shihoun sat in cat form in the basement of Urahara's shop house, her tail swishing lazily behind her. As she watched Tatsuki practice with her new-found abilities, she let a little more of her reiatsu leak out that she usually did, and her mind drifted back to the conversation she'd had with Urahara.

(Flashback)

"I'm telling you, Kisuke, her powers are dangerous. You can't tell me that having a human with powers practically identical to a hollows is natural or safe."

"You're right, it's not natural. But it's also not _dangerous_." Urahara began to pace. "You see, just by watching, I've already discovered a great deal. As Ichigo's out of control reiatsu poured out of him over the years, Chad's body reacted. Ordinarily the living body pushes away excess reiatsu around them. However, In Chad's and Tatsuki's case, two factors changed that."

"First, the fact the Chad was exposed to it, day after day for years on end. In Tatsuki's case, it only got worse once Ichigo became a shinigami. The second thing that changed that was the fact that the two of them were best friends. How the unconscious soul works is difficult to understand, but since Chad only felt that _excess _reiatsu when he was around Ichigo, and since Ichigo and Tatsuki were friends, I think that their souls marked the energy as 'safe' and began to draw it in. The reason that the soul, and hence, the body, normally pushes away ambient spirit energy is because unless the body is trained to handle it, like a Quincy, it can be harmful. Think of it as a sort of spiritual immune system."

_"_So, you have Chad and Tatsuki absorbing that reiatsu, day in and day out, for years. I mean, granted, it wasn't a terrible amount or every hollow in Hueco Mundo would have been after them, but Ichigo was emitting reiatsu _constantly_, and their bodies were absorbing it. But since he wasn't doing anything with it, it just sat there in his body, unused, which let a bigger and bigger store of it build up."

Urahara paused for a moment, and although it was clear he was trying to put it into layman's terms, she still felt as though the explanation was going over her head. Damned scientists, all she wanted to know was if it was safe and maybe a little bit of how it worked, she didn't want to know _why_.

Before she could say anything, he continued. "That had the side effect of accustoming their bodies to absorbing reiatsu, and both of them began to draw in reiatsu from all sources, not just Ichigo. Then, over the years, they became accustomed to the reiatsu inside of it, and began to unconsciously utilize it, the reason why he was so strong and tough even before manifesting any obvious spiritual powers. Yes, Tatsuki's strong and tough naturally, but Chad being able to stand up after a _steel girder_ fell on him, and his body being tough enough to bend said steel girder are a little outside the realm of normal human physical capabilities."

"However, in Chad's case most of the reiryoku inside him remained dormant until he fought the hollow and gained his armored arm. That released the built up power inside of him, and it transformed his body in order to make use of it. With that, he was able to defeat the hollow. However, later that same day, he was at the battle where Ichigo fought the Gillian. The power that the Gillian and Ichigo exuded in that fight was enough to rebuild a power well inside him. That was released when he learned of Ichigo's 'death', and manifested itself as changing his original arm, and transforming his left one."

"Finally, Tatsuki associated with not just Ichigo, but Orihime as well. And now they're going to Soul Society, a place where everything is made of reiatsu, and they're going to be training with shinigami. The more reiatsu they absorb, the more powerful the transformation. If you can stop them from doing anything suicidal like challenging Zaraki right off the bat, their transformation when they fight for real should be incredible."

"What do you mean?" She asked, speaking for the first time since the start of the conversation.

"Chad's body stores the power until it's needed, or until it is released in times of great emotional stress. You saw what happened when I told Arisawa-san about Ichigo?"

Yoruichi nodded.

She'd felt that impact from Soul Society.

"Furthermore, Chad's body seems to sense exactly what type of power he needs to have in order to win a given fight, and tailors the transformation accordingly. However, the power of the transformation is limited by the amount of reiryoku his body has at the time of transformation. The longer you keep him in Soul Society, the more power he absorbs, and the more powerful the transformation. Which means I'm going to need you to do something."

"What?" She asked warily.

"The time you're in Soul Society, whenever you're around Chad or Tatsuki, I need you to let out more of your reiatsu than you normally do."

"You want me to speed up the transformations." She growled.

"No, I want you to make the transformation more powerful when it does happen. Yoruichi, listen to me. If I thought there was even a chance that they would go berserk, I wouldn't even consider this. But as far as I can tell, Chad's powers are stable, and Tatsuki just needs some time to get used to her own. They're like a hollows, yes, but unlike hollows they're _stable_. Furthermore, I think they may very well be the only one who can stop Aizen."

"What do you mean by that? I understand that her powers are unlike anything ever seen before, but what would make either of them a match for Aizen when most captains can't even touch him?"

Kisuke cast a glance towards Tatsuki who back-flipped away from Chad's overhand swing. It was as if he were a clumsy giant, and she was a graceful dancer, effortlessly twirling away from one attack, only to sway right back in and deliver an equally fierce counter.

"Think about it. Chad has a limitless potential. And Tatsuki, she has the drive to get stronger. He'll keep absorbing reiatsu, she'll keep building up power, they'll both keep transforming until one of them is destroyed completely, with each successive transformation stronger than the previous one. In addition, _Chad's_transformation is tailored to what he needs to win each fight. Tatsuki gains a new ability when she transforms, but like Sado-san, she doesn't lose any abilities that previous transformations gave her. Yes, it requires more reiatsu to transform each time, but with the battles we've got ahead, I don't think that's going to be a problem for a while. By the end of the war, it wouldn't surprise me if these two are able to easily beat Captain Commander Yamamoto."

"Alright." She didn't like it, but she'd do it. "But what about Ichigo?"

"What about him?"

An impatient hiss.

"You didn't tell them the whole story."

Urahara's shoulders seemed to sag. "What choice did I have? If I told them the whole truth, then what would they have for motivation?" That was a lame excuse, and they both knew it.

"You really think they can save him, don't you?" She sounded almost amused, yet it was impossible to miss the sad undercurrent in her voice. "Even after he's been gone for so long? Even when he doesn't remember them?"

Again their gaze turned to Tatsuki and the others.

After a moment of silent contemplation, Urahara gave a firm nod.

"If anyone can, it'll be them."

"They really are hopless." She half sighed, half chuckled under her breath. In the background, Tatsuki was scolding Orihime for something, as she had interrupted her training to shout at Orihime. "Even when we've got the Bount to deal with, those girls have a one track mind-

A yelp of pain interrupted the moment, and they turned to see that Chad had received a rather vicious boot to the face, then another to the ribs. Tatsuki was finally hitting her stride, and he had his hands full by now.

That was enough for the day.

--

"And that's the gist of it." Ichigo finished up with a sigh. "Sound's pretty stupid, right?"

Neliel seemed to think.

"Ichigo, do you know where we hollows come from?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but clamped it shut when he realized that he _didn't _have an answer."I...never really thought of it, but- Annoyance marred his features briefly. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Then perhaps if I explain it to you, then you'll see why you keep remembering strangers?"

For a moment it looked like he'd say no-

"C'mon, it can't hurt to hear Neliel-sama out." Interrupted a voice.

Ichigo didn't have to turn to see who it was, even as she emerged from the shadows.

"Apache. How did you find this place."

The tomboyish arrancar shrugged, but seemed oddly fidgety for some reason. "You seemed down, so I followed ya." She mumbled this under her breath.

"Where are the others?"

Apache was clearly out of her element here. She was used to fighting. Idle chit-chat was not exactly her _forte_. Therefore, Ichigo's seemingly incessant questions weren't helping either. "Sleeping. Do I really need a reason to be up here?"

Ichigo felt a smile tug at his lips.

"Apache, I'm _touched_. I never knew you cared."

The taunt was not well received, but then again, it wasn't meant to be. For starters, Apache flushed redder than pinker than a cherry blossom, but whether it was from embarrassment or anger...

Who knew?

Regardless, his comment had thrown her for a loop. Jabbing a finger at the smirking espada, she now desperately attempted to defend her position. "H-Hey you! Don't be gettin' any ideas! Its not like I _care_ if your depressed! I just didn't want you up here by yourself!"

This only made the situation worse.

By now, Ichigo was grinning devilishly, with Neliel smiling softly.

"Apache-chan, you can stay if you'd like." She offered. This seemed to put the fraccion visibly at ease. She sat herself down on the railing to Ichigo's left, although she still gave one last effort at having the last say. "I woulda stayed anyways."

_'Right..._Thought Ichigo to himself.

"Hollows are former Pluses (deceased human souls) that lose their hearts to despair or remain in the real world for too long. In the anime, nonhuman spirits can also transform into Hollows. Any spirit that is not guided to the Soul Society by a Shinigami via Soul Burial-

Apache stuck out her tongue in distaste, and Ichigo shuddered.

"Blech. Soul Reapers." They said this simultaneously.

-may eventually descend into a Hollow. The process by which a soul becomes a hollow usually takes months (if not longer), reflected by the length of the soul's Chain of Fate, which resides in the center of their chest. The Chain of Destiny slowly corrodes over time, reflecting the degradation of the soul's ties to the living world. The process can be accelerated under certain conditions, such as being attacked by another Hollow or through the use of certain spiritual powers. When the chain completely decays, the soul is warped into a unique and monstrous form with a vaguely skeletal mask-

She touched her head where her skull cap lay.

"And-

Apache peered at Neliel now, interrupting.

"Hey, I just realized something. A hollow hole means you don't have a heart, right?" Neliel nodded."That's right. Most hollows have a large hole where their chain was once connected."

"Then why is it you and I don't have a hollow hole?" Apache asked quizzically.

"I...don't have one either." Mumbled Ichigo under his breath.

"Well, The majority of ghosts peacefully move on to the Soul Society after their deaths. Some, however, stay in the living world to fulfill certain goals, such as looking after a loved one, protecting a particular location, or pursuing a grudge from beyond the grave. Theoretically, the _absence _of a hollow hole would suggest that the hollow isn't a bloodthirsty beast."

Apache seemed satisfied with this theory, but it was Ichigo who shook his head."Wait wait wait. If I did come here, then why don't I remember my past life?"

Neliel shrugged. "Its partially your own personal preference. Most hollows choose _not _to remember certain parts of their former lives. Some just forget altogether."

"I remember mine." Ventured Apache, but she faltered a bit when Ichigo stared at her. "Sorta."

"Spill it." He ordered.

The tomboy squirmed a bit, her breasts bouncing lightly from the motion. She seemed to stare off into space for a moment or two, before finally speaking. "I lived somewhere warm. I think I had parents."

"Do you remember how you died?" The question was so forceful, so _sudden, _that she was left speechless. Almost immediately, he regretted asking that, but he didn't know why.

"N-Nevermind." He muttered. "I shouldn't have asked. That's personal-

"I was mauled to death by a bear." She said this so suddenly, that so quietly, that Ichigo was left in stunned silence.

"Oh."

Neliel chose to continue with her explanation, in an effort to distract them from their now melancholy mood.

"However, with only limited abilities to interact with the living, and by definition tied to their goals, many ghosts find they are unable to cope when their loved ones move on or old enemies forget them. At this point, some will become dangerously obsessed with fulfilling those goals, even if the means to fulfill them renders the soul empty: for example, killing anyone who comes near a loved one, in order to keep them from hurting that person. In doing so, the ghost warps into a hollow and, ironically, often makes the focus of their obsession into their first victim."

Ichigo nodded. "True, but this doesn't explain what's happening to me."

Apache arched an eyebrow.

"Well, Once a soul becomes a hollow, it is driven by an eternal and insatiable hunger to devour other souls, living or dead, to fill the void caused by its descent. While their former obsession often becomes their first target, most Hollows will eventually become mindless creatures concerned only with finding the most potent souls to devour. Stronger and more evil hollows are often able to retain some of their intelligence in Hollow form, making them more dangerous than the average hollow. While most hollows are evil, or at the very least mindless, at least a few aren't."

"So you're saying part of me didn't _want _to become a hollow?"

"Most likely." Reasoned the Tercera espada with a yawn. "Well, I believe that's enough for the night-

Apache turned to go, letting her hand brush over Ichigo's as she headed back.

Neliel did the same as well...

But not before delivering a swift peck on Ichigo's cheek.

"Goodnight, Ichigo."

His hand reached up to feel his face.

"...Night."

Strange.

--

"Rukia!"

"Ah! Orihime, you're crushing me!" Protested Rukia, as she struggled to get out of the hug.

Uryuu seemed surprised to the shinigami here.

"What're you doing here, Rukia? Shouldn't you be recovering?"

The shinigami dusted herself off and sighed.

"I've been assigned to Karakura again. But this time, its only on a temporary basis, to deal with the-

"The Bount, we know." Interrupted Tatsuki as she came around the corner, with an exhausted Chad in tow.

Rukia appeared to be rather confused now.

"Um...did I miss something?"

--

(Elsewhere)

Nnoitra grinned slyly as he saw Neliel headed towards her quarters, which was a little down the hall, and then across from his own.

"You two looked pretty cozy up there."

She stiffened, spoke with her back to him.

"What do you want, Nnoitra?"

The ocatava espada shouldered his scythe, its single crescent moon blade gleaming in the night.

"I could ask you the same thing."

Her hand strayed to Gamuza, which was still resting snugly in her sash.

"I am not in the mood for battle.

He took a step forward-

"But if you insist-

The blade sang as it was drawn, and it was over in a second.

She stood over him, blade pressed to his battered throat. He was covered in scratches and bruises. Nnoitra Jiruga had been humiliated. And by a woman, his superior no less.

"Finish it." He growled.

She looked at him with an air of disdain, then sheathed her zanpaktou.

"No. I will not allow you to drag me into that savagery."

"Do it!"

"No."

She turned to go with a flourish.

"You really _are_weak, Nnoitra. You know not what true strength is."

This left him seething, as he watched her retreating form.

"Bitch!"

She could hear him coming from behind-

CLANG!

A glowing blade of blue intercepted his scythe, holding it steady with the greatest of ease. Its wielder was male. He had a chiseled face, and features, short, shoulder length blond hair, a slim yet athletic build, and skin that was even paler than Ulquiorra's. His mask fragments poked out of his head in a small pair of horns.

"You shall not touch Neliel-sama." Stated the man, his bluish green eyes reflected cold animosity towards the surprised espada. "If you harm so much as _one hair_ on her head I will rip yours off."

Knowing that two against one was suicide, Jiruga reluctantly slunk off.

"Pesche." Stated Neliel, knowing it was her fraccion that had gotten in the way. "You didn't need to do that." Pesche gave a low bow and sheathed Ultima.

"Gomen, Neliel-sama. I do not trust him."

A small sigh escaped the woman.

"He truly is despicable, isn't he?"

--

(Night)

He was in the pit again, bound and tied.

He glared up at the man howled profanities at him, even as he struggled to get free.

"Bastard! Are you _trying_ to kill me?!"

"Yes." He replied, and this made Ichigo's blood run cold.

"The moment you give up, that is when you die."

And then the pain started.

--

His eyes snapped open, and there was sheer terror reflected in them.

"Gah!" Ichigo screamed, and sprang out of bed, covered in a cold sweat. A shiver ran through him, and he rubbed at his arms, as they had gone numb. "Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!"

He'd had that dream again.

He looked down at his hands, and they were trembling.

"Ichigo?"

He twisted about, going on high alert as the dividing door opened. This room was actually two rooms, one for himself, and the other shared by his six fraccion.

He relaxed only slightly when he saw that it was Sun-Sun.

However, that did not mean anything.

Nope.

Nothing at all.

"Whaddya want?" He grumbled, as he sat back down on the bed, his hand tracing where his mask fragment lie. Maybe he should've ignored Aizen's offer. All he had right now was a LOT of questions, and still no answers.

"You were screaming." She stated, sitting down beside him, hazel eyes reflecting the utmost of concern. She waited for him to say something, for a minute, then finally spoke to him again. "Why were you screaming?" Still on edge, he barked angrily at her, venting his frustrations.

"So what if I scream? I'm the king. I can scream all I want."

Sun-Sun gave him an odd look.

"The king?"

"It's...nothing." He muttered.

She paused, seemed to mull it over.

"Perhaps you should get some fresh air. It's probably morning over there."

"Over there?"

What she said next grabbed his attention-no it _seized_ his attention.

"The human world. I often went there to ease my mind."

That's right. In all the confusion, he had forgot that it was _always _night here, or rather, always day, thanks to that dome Aizen had erected around Las Noches. The constant night or day, not to mention the humidity, made it nigh impossible to sleep.

Considering the fact that he never slept before, Ichigo wasn't entirely used to the concept of getting tired. He'd gladly welcome something to do. He abruptly sat up, and began to get dressed.

"Come on then."

Sun-Sun blinked.

"Excuse me?"

He gave her a pointed stare.

"Did you think you were staying here?" When she didn't answer, he wagged a finger reproachfully at her. "You're the one who suggested I go there. So _you're_ coming with _me_."

She had forgotten to mention that they weren't supposed to go the human world yet.

--

(Two hours later human world)

It was odd, night in this world was actually _much _cooler than night in Hueco Muendo.

As the Garganta closed behind them, Ichigo could sense easily a dozen reaitsu signatures, and that was without using his Pesquisa. Sun-Sun seemed to notice it as well, judging by the odd look in her eyes.

Oddly enough, he _recognized_ some of the signatures.

But there was an abundance of reaitsu signatures that he did _not_ recognize. And one seemed to be growing VERY fast, as compared to another, which was steadily dipping in power.

His curiosity was officially aroused.

"Sun-Sun. I'm going to open my Pesquisa. I want you to do the same."

"Hai."

Both of them closed their eyes and listened.

**Pesquisa** (探査回路（ペスキス）, _Pesukisa_; Spanish for "inquiry") was the Arrancar equivalent of the Shinigami ability to sense Spiritual Pressure. It functioned similar to a sonar. However, unlike a shinigami's ability, with Pesquia, an arrancar could determine just what type of reaitsu he or she was sensing.

That made it an invaluable tool.

"Bount." Sun-Sun murmured under her breath. "The first reaitsu signature belongs to a Bount. The second one belongs to a shinigami." She opened her eyes just as her master did the same.

Now there was a fire in his soul.

"Sun-Sun, did I say anything about NOT harming a bount?" His fraccion saw the look in his eyes.

"No." She answered.

He was grinning from ear to ear now.

"Then lets go have some fun while we're here, shall we?"

**Ichigo is here! Wondering who the unlucky Bount is? You'll have to wait till next time.**


	7. Remembrance

Ichigo spied a man that appeared to be whipping about some sort of whip. He was combating what had to be a shinigami, judging from her black hakama.

His reaitsu was pitiful, and the shinigami wasn't particulary high up there Either. But he supposed that couldn't be helped. After all, _nothing_could never compare to an arrancar.

He unslung Zangetsu, and let out a blood chilling war cry. Sun-Sun did the same, drawing her zanpaktou, minus the war shriek. However, one thing was made entirely clear to Karakura Town.

_It was dinner time._

--

Ryo Utagawa stiffened as he heard the bloodcurdling roar, then suppressed the shiver as he felt the boiling reaitsu. His distraction cost him however, and he received a thin cut on his left arm.

This woman, though attractive, had been giving him a hard time for at least an hour now. He'd been unable to hit her, and the damage she had done to him with her zanpaktou, a rather pitiful blade that could turn to ash and cut him, was minor at worst.

But reinforcements were anything but welcome.

He had to hurry and finish her off before whoever that was got down here. It didn't occur to him that Ichigo wasn't going to wait for him to do this. A white blur slammed into him, pinned him down...

And in the ensuing bloodbath, he was no more.

Ichigo then turned his attention to the shinigami.

"I wonder if you're stronger."

Rangiku wisely chose that moment to raise her blade in a guard...

Otherwise the strike would've taken her down the middle.

Ichigo pulled his hand out of the point, and was amused to see that Rangiku immediately turned her blade to ash, catching Sun-Sun on the arm before the fraccion could strike.

"Nice reflexes."

He gave Sun-Sun a look that told her she could play with the shinigami, but not kill her.

"I'll let you live. But you'd better stay alive until I get back."

Then he was gone.

--

(Construction site)

The bount he was looking for, was surprisingly _gone_ when he got there. However, there were signs of a struggle, scorch marks here and there. Along with some frozen metal.

And blood.

There was plenty of blood, splattered all over the place. To his left, there was a slick of the stuff, as if a body had been dragged. He followed the trail, until he reached the inner depths of a building, or rather, its entrance.

He was met with a sight that greatly unnerved him.

There, splattered in blood, was an arrow.

Written in blood beneath it read:

**Right this way.**

On guard, he now unslung Zangetsu, and headed inward.

Something else was here as well.

Judging by the sinister laughter.

_"Hehe. So its you..._

Ichigo felt the attack coming less than a second before it hit him.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" He cried, whipping his blade around, catching a blade of pure white on Zangetsu's black edge. Just before the crescent wave was supposed to slam into his attacker, he got a good look at her face.

She had half a mask on it, but that did not prevent him from recognizing her.

She was the shinigami in his dream.

Then all hell broke loose.

In the second of hesitation that he gave, she rolled under him, and slashed at his legs, then rolled away. Ichigo felt a thin gash blossom across his left leg, and he briefly went down on one knee.

"Bitch." He hissed, eyes now darting this way and that as he rose.

Laughter echoed all around him.

_"Aw, don't be so serious! Let's have some fun!"_

As she said the last, part, she faded into view behind Ichigo, who, now used to her movements lashed out with his right hand. She hadn't been expecting him to do that, and recoiled in surprise when he grabbed her mask.

Then he began to pull at it.

"Game over, shinigami."

It shattered as he removed it with one sharp tug.

Rukia's eyes went wide.

"Ichigo?"

He frowned.

"Who are you?"

But at that moment, she collapsed.

--

Tatsuki was having hell.

This bount kept disappearing before she could kick its lights out! Everytime she got close enough to attack, the fish and the man who was seemingly _attached _to it, would just sink into the ground, then reappear and try and _eat her!_

She charged again, attempting to deliver an axe kick, but it was the doll that disappeared again. Seething, the armor crept up further on her body, until it was just below her breasts.

Sensing the doll coming from behind, she spun to deliver a kick. Now her attack just bounced off its fleshy hide, with no visible signs of damage. For what seemed the millionth time, it opened its mouth, and she scampered away from its gaping maw. But as she scrambled away, she tripped and went down on her hands and knees.

She was exhausted by now, and it seemed help wasn't coming.

Or was it?

--

Urahara knew who it was, and what they wanted, before Yoruichi even burst through the door.

"Kisuke! It's-

The blond reached for his cane.

"I know. He's already attacked someone."

Ichigo.

They had to get to him before he wiped out half of Karakura.

--

The bount looked up, distracted, as a massive reaitsu _exploded_ into existence. A trace of fear was seen on his face, as the air seemed to shimmer. That mild fear, would soon become full blown sheer terror.

"What on earth-

And then _they_arrived, in a blur of Sonido.

Tatsuki couldn't see them from behind, but their reaitsu alone was enough to buckle her knees. A bead of sweat ran down her brow, as she was practically forced flat to the ground.

Ichigo was grinning demonically, and leaned forward from where he stood in the air. His tone was jovial, and both hands were still pocketed, but it was clear that he meant business.

"Well well well. Sun-Sun, what do we have here?"

Rangiku had been spared, but only after Sun-Sun roughed her up a little.

Now, there would be blood however.

Sawatari frowned.

"What do you peons want?"

Sun-Sun shrugged nonchalantly, but it was Ichigo who spoke.

"Want? We don't want anything bount. We're just here...He licked his lips now. "To swallow your soul." Something about the way he said that made Tatsuki very, very afraid. But she was too afraid to even think about running away. It was as if the slightest movement would draw his eye, and provoke him into attack.

Sawatari made the mistake of blinking.

And once he did, the arrancar were gone-

Appearing behind him!

Both doll and master howled in pain as Sun-Sun's Anaconda stabbed into the stomach of Baura. Purple blood dripped from its trio pronged edge. The fish turned to devour her-

BZZAP!

But it was _Ichigo_who know drew its eye, as he had blasted the beast with a low level cero. The blast was enough to badly burn both doll and bount alike who hissed in pain.

Holding back disgusted him. Though he wanted to devour this bount... Using less than a third of his power was insulting. This meal had better be worth his trouble.

Ichigo unslung Zangetsu and swung in one lightning fast slash, moving in a blur-

Just as he was swallowed whole. Baura's gaping maw closed around him, and then he was down its gullet. Thinking quite highly of himself, Sawatari now turned his attention to Sun-Sun, intending to swallow her as well.

Ba-dump.

"Slay: Zangetsu!"

A dark and sinister reaitsu began to grow, slowly at first, but within a second it was 10x his own.

And still rising.

He realized too late that he shouldn't have devoured this arrancar. But by then, it _was_too late. The moment Ichigo chose him as his prey, it was his destiny to perish. To become a meal for the menace.

A low growl sounded from the stomach of Baura. Zangetsu had been released. Now, someone, or rather _something,_began to claw and rip at the insides of his doll. It started slowly at first, but the pain soon built up into a raw crescendo that left Sawatari screaming for mercy. And that was before blood started leaking out of his eyes and ears. You didn't have to be a genius to know what was happening. He was being _eaten _from the inside out.

His cries grew in pitch, as the beast continued to writhe and thrash. "No stop! Please! I beg of you!" Heedless of his wails, the true monster feasted on his intestines, slurping them up like spaghetti, and then spitting out the sour tasting bones.

Tatsuki's eyes went wide in horror, as the fish abruptly burst like a balloon.

A gore drenched figure sprang out from the belly of the beast. He shook himself like a dog, to clean himself of the black blood. A pink tongue darted between his lips to lick out the last succulent drops of his midnight snack.

He seemed to radiate power now, twice that of his previous strength. Brown eyes met hazel as he looked to Sun-Sun. "Are there any more bount around here?"

The fraccion closed her eyes.

"No. Those three are the only ones in the vicinity."

"Ichigo?"

The arrancar stiffened, and looked over his shoulder. In all the chaos, he had forgotten about the human. Apparently, she was the second source of the large reaitsu he had sense.

"You know my name." He said this guardedly, as he looked over the female. She had a strange armor of sorts on her skin-No, it _was_ her skin. His eyes gleamed as he recognized this ability.

It was Hierro.

**Hierro** (鋼皮（イエロ）, _iero_; Spanish for "Iron", Japanese for "Steel Skin") is a technique of the Arrancar in which an Arrancar's Reiryoku condenses and creates a steel-hard skin that is strong enough to block a Zanpakutō. Depending on the Arrancar's power level, their Hierro may be stronger or weaker. But for a human to be using hierro, and for it to be actually visible...

"Have we met?"

Tatsuki was staring at him with tears in her eyes now. Shakily she got up, and started to approach him. Kisuke must've lied again, that was what she told herself. But that was the furthest thing on her mind. When she found Hat n' clogs, she was gonna beat the tar outta him! Ichigo didn't look the slightest bit different, and there wasn't any sign of a mask to be found.

But he was alright, and that was all that mattered.

"Baka, you haven't changed a bit-

His blade was suddenly held to her throat, and she froze in midstep.

"How do you know me, human?"

"H-Hey! W-What're you doing idiot?!"

"You would be wise not to insult me." The reply came out as a deadly hiss. "Now tell me...Why do you know my name? At a loss, Tatsuki said the first thing that came out of her mouth.

"W-We grew up together."

That saved her life.

Ichigo lowered his blade, and seemed to stare at her. After a good five seconds, he strapped Zangetsu to his back again. Tatsuki's relieved sigh was cut off by a surprised squeak, when his hands abruptly cupped her face. "S-Stop that!" She blushed lightly. "Ichigo, I said stop-

"Sun-Sun, restrain her."

"Hai, Ichigo-sama."

Tatsuki never got a chance to ask who Sun-Sun was. But she realized it had to be the girl with the long sleeves, as said individual now seized her arms, and bound them behind her back.

She struggled mightily, but it felt as if her power was being sapped away. Much to her dismay, she realized she was out of reaitsu. That was why her armor was receding like it was now.

Deprived of her strength, Tatsuki was powerless to resist her captors. Ichigo's eyes seemed to flash, and he leaned forward slightly. She pulled her face back, or rather, attempted to, but his grip was like iron. She couldn't budge an inch.

Were his eyes always black and yellow like that?

"Tell me everything human." He said this in a hypnotic voice. She felt something probing at the edges of her mind, recoiled when it touched her. She closed her eyes, trying not to meet his gaze...But it was too late, he'd found her consciousness. The foreign presence in her mind pounced, seizing control of her mind.

"Tell me." He commanded with authority.

Tatsuki's eyes opened, and abruptly dulled.

Her voice now came out in a monotone, lacking any sort of emotion.

"Yes...I will...tell you everything."

A satisfied smirk.

"Good girl."

She began to spill out a bunch of useless gibberish about her life.

Ichigo hissed in annoyance.

"No no no! Tell me everything you know about _me_!"

She nodded.

"Hai. Ichigo Kurosaki-

Ichigo listened with great intrigue, as she began to spew out all kinds of information, some of which pertained to him greatly. Most of which involved a place called 'school' and shinigami. He listened quietly, but when the name "Rukia" Came out, he held up a hand for silence.

"Who is Rukia?"

Tatsuki opened her mouth to speak-

"Arisawa! Get away from him!"

Unaware of the incoming strike, Ichigo did not react until the blade dug into his right shoulder. With a hiss he sprang backwards, and fired a retalitory bala from his right hand. The bullet of red made a dull whump as it hit something.

Sun-Sun sprang back, and had her hand out in an instant, catching the kick from a woman who looked to be very tan. Concerned, Ichigo's healing factor kicked in, and he moved to help his fraccion-

Only to be blocked by a man wearing traditional Japanese wooden sandals (_geta_) and a bucket hat. He also wore a coat that bore some resemblance to a Shinigami captain's _haori_.

It was his zanpaktou dripped with Ichigo's blood.

"Outta my way!"

"Ichigo, what are you planning?" The man asked him. "What can you possibly hope to accomplish from this?!"

Ichigo growled, and now Zangetsu ran through the air as it was drawn.

"Why does everyone know my name?! Why?! I don't even _know_ you people!"

At this, the man seemed to falter a bit.

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what?! I've lived in Hueco Muendo all my life! I don't friggin remember anything else!"

He seemed to become angry.

"Ichigo, snap out of it! You're not a vasto lorde! You're human!"

Ichigo's face blanked.

"What...did you....say?"

Urahara knew he'd best read lightly now.

One wrong word might push him over the edge.

"Ichigo, you probably don't remember, but you really are human. You're not a hollow."

This drove Ichigo over the edge and into madness.

"LIAR!" He screamed! "YOU DON'T KNOW ME!"

"Ichigo, he's...telling the truth."

This came from Tatsuki, who had recovered from his control.

Furious, he whirled on her! "SHUT UP! I'M SICK OF YOUR _LIES_!"

His blade began to spark blue.

"DIE!"

Urahara knew what was coming next, and moved to stop the arrancar.

"Orikio: Benihime!"

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

Blood sprayed like a crimson fountain, as the attack hit...

But whom?

--

Aizen scowled darkly as he watched the fight take place from his mirror.

This was not part of his plan.

In a blur, he disappeared.

Reappearing in Stark's quarters.

"Stark, you are to bring Ichigo and Sun-Sun back here. Immediately."

**Next up, Memory: Ichigo's Solitude.**


	8. Healing

Tatsuki dared to open her eyes.

What she saw was a gruesome sight, one that would haunt her forever.

"Oh...my...

Zangetsu clattered to the earth as blood sprayed about. It was like a neverending ruby red fountain. Ichigo stared at himself, then looked over his shoulder. Urahara had gone past-

-And through him.

"AAAGH!"

Ichigo recoiled in pain, holding the crumbling remains of his arm. He went to his knee a second later, crimson leaking between his clenched fingertips. "Shit shit shit!" It had been completely severed, just above the elbow, and now lay at his feet. "You...bastard... Wheezed the espada, as blood dripped from the stump of a shoulder he was clutching.

"You'll pay for that...

Urahara had struck with surprising force, stopping Ichigo just seconds before he could kill Tatsuki. He now breathed a sigh of relief, as his shikai strike had taken Ichigo's sword arm, dropping the espada's reaitsu by half.

"Phew...That was a bit too close for comfort...

_'I never should've used the shattered shaft. He's become too dangerous, too powerful..._

If it continued at this rate, he might actually have to _kill_ Ichigo.

Isshin would never forgive him-

A low chuckle shook him from his musings.

"Kidding."

Kurosaki's statement made him nervous.

And now he was getting up.

This left Urahara ill at ease.

"Kidding? I just took your arm off." He hefted Benihime back into her usual pose. He truly didn't want to do this, but the arrancar standing before him was proof that Ichigo was too far gone. Either that, or he was buried down so deep that no one, not even his family and friends, could possibly reach him. "Don't make me take the other one."

Ichigo's reply was to laugh. "Go ahead! Chop it off if you want!" As if to goad the blond, he held out his remaining arm, and spread his feet apart. He was leaving himself wide open.

"DO IT, SHINIGAMI!"

He didn't stop laughing, even when Urahrara took the chance, and lopped off his arm.

"Did you really think that was it?" His arms began to bubble, right where they had been disected. "That such a simple hit could possibly kill me?" Much to Urahara's horror, a _new arm_ burst out of the roiling flesh, and then another. They were covered in a greenish blue fluid, but other than that, perfectly good limbs.

With the sleeves of his hakama now gone, his bare arms were left out for everyone to see. Like the rest of him, they were well muscled, and there was not a trace of flab to be seen upon them. Ichigo curled his hands into fists, and shook the grime off his arms.

His left hand reached up to his face, gripping the skin there, pulling it down, but slightly. "Watch closely, shinigami. I'm about to show you a little something I call 'True Despair'."

Kisuke swallowed the bile in his throat. Ichigo's reaitsu had just tripled in a heartbeat, and even he was having difficulty breathing by this point. The energy alone was like nothing he had ever felt before.

And this seemed to be just the tip of the iceberg.

"That couldn't be-

Ichigo now reached down to clasp Zangetsu, and one hand was still on his face. The blade emitted a humming sound. Almost immediately, it began to spark and dance with blue light, casting everyone in its cerulean afterglow.

Ichigo was now silhouetted in the aura. His eyes had become those of a hollow, and the irises were pulsing a sickly yellow color. He was going to release his zanpaktou.

"Mate:Luna del- **(Spannish for Slay: cutting moon)**

However, a gloved hand grabbed his arm, stopping him.

It was Stark.

"Enough of this Ichigo."

Another hand grabbed his palm, pulled away from his face.

Lillenette too.

A sigh escaped the perpetually lazy espada. If Lillenette hadn't pestered him to get up, (And gave him a swift kick in the pants) Then he'd still be sleeping peacefully. As it was, he wanted this done and over with, so he could get back to his nap.

The primera touched at the air, and the Garganta opened high in the sky. He followed this up by casting Sun-Sun a look, jerking his head in an unmistakeable "Come here" Gesture. Kurosaki gave her a minute nod to confirm it, then shook himself free of Stark and Lilenette.

Immediately, she disengaged from Yoruichi, and appeared by Ichigo's side.

"We're going back."

In the blink of an eye, the three of them were up in the air.

Tatsuki looked on with tears in her eyes.

"Ichigo...

She had seen his mask, and it covered his ear.

He really was a hollow.

Stark stepped into the void first, then Lillenette, and Sun-Sun.

Urahara dashed up after them, attempting to stop them before the Garganta closed...

And Ichigo paused with one foot in the vortex.

He held himself with an air of uncertainty, a sharp contrast to the almost devilish nature he had displayed a second ago. "We'll meet again...Urahara." But then his face hardened into a mask, and he raised his hand to jab a finger at Urahara. In doing so, he realized his tattoo was gone. "And next time, I'll rip _your_ throat out!"

Then he stepped into the Garganta, which snapped shut behind his retreating back.

Urahara stared after him for a moment, then spit a curse.

"Damnit!"

That had been their only chance to snag him. If it had been a close call, then maybe the defeat would have been easier to stomach. But no, due to both the unexpectedness of his arrival, and the interference of Aizen, they had blown it. Aizen was sure to keep him on a tight leash now, in order to prevent another fiasco.

Silently, he shunpoed back to the ground. The silence in the air was permeable now. Tatsuki hung her head in a mix of shame and misery. Chad arrived with an unconcious Rukia slung over her shoulder, and Rangiku appeared seconds later, leaning heavily on Ashido and Orihime for support. Yoruichi was holding her left arm, a look of mild pain in her eyes.

This had been a complete and total rout.

The only good that had come of it was the death of three bount.

Regardless, everyone had a dull look in their eyes.

They had lost.

Or had they?

Yoruichi eyed the blood on Benihime. Inspiration abruptly struck, and in her mind, two and two were put together. Kisuke had created the Hogyoku a device to break down the barriers between hollow and shinigami. Who was to say that he couldn't create a device that _created_ a barrier.

"Kisuke, you're not going to believe this, but I have a brilliant idea."

Urahara raised his head.

"I'm all ears."

--

"Welcome back, Ichigo." Stated Aizen from his throne.

Ichigo stood before Aizen, staring up at him unflinchingly. "I trust you learned your lesson?" The espada snorted, and rolled his eyes. Kaname turned slightly to the side.

"Well? Don't you have something to say, Ichigo?"

After a moment of silence, the seunda espada rolled his shoulders in a shrug.

"Not really."

Kaname was clearly outraged by this, you could tell by the look on his face.

"How dare you-

"It's alright, Kaname." Interrupted Aizen. "I'm not uspet." Actually, Aizen was outright _furious_ with the vasto lorde's disobedience. But he wasn't going to punish him, at least not in the expected way. Humiliation was a much more effective tool. Embarass your enemy, and they'll think twice before crossing you again.

And that was exactly what he intended to do. He looked down at the two arrancar, one of which made no secret of hiding his anger, the other, whose eyes held the _slightest_ trace of fear.

Weakness.

And weaknesses, could be exploited. He would show Ichigo just what happened when decided to cross the god of the new world.

"I believe that Ichigo and Sun-Sun were just trying to please me, and their actions got a bit carried away." Silence hung in the air, as he let everyone proccess his words. Then his gaze turned once more to Ichigo. "Is that correct, Ichigo?"

The strawberry blond smirked, and Sun-Sun sighed slightly, both thinking they had gotten away with it.

"That's right." They answered as one.

Kaname's response was to grip Sun-Sun by her collar. Apparently, he wasn't dumb enough to try that on Ichigo. The vasto lorde would most likely have killed him.

As it was, he was furious that a shinigami had touched his fraccion. "What the hell's your problem, Tousen?!" Snarled Ichigo, hands balling into fists.

"Aizen-sama, give me permission to execute them!"

"Kaname-

Sun-Sun cut her master off, as she shook free of Tousen's grip.

Her zanpaktou came out of her sleeve-

And he grabbed her wrist, twisting it back with enough force to make her cry out in pain. To Ichigo, her cry was worse than any insult, more terrible than any flesh wound.

In that second, something snapped. Ichigo couldn't take it anymore! He had been quiet long enough, and Kaname's actions had him seeing red! Nobody, but nobody did that to his fraccion! Certainly not some snobby shinigami!

"Damn you!" He howled, springing forward-

"Ichigo!"

The espada froze in midstep.

Aizen smiled down from his throne." I am afraid I won't be able to forgive you if you attack Kaname." Unfortunately, forgivness was the last thing on his mind by now. Kaname had pushed the one button you did not want to touch. The 'Guaranteed to Piss off Ichigo' button.

"Then you'd better punish _me_." He hissed venemously, drawing his fist back-

And with a incredibly fast Sonido, delivered a solid roundhouse to Kaname's face. The impact alone would be enough to catapault Tousen into the wall, then through it.

But, much to Ichigo's dismay, he wasn't even scratched. In fact, why was he behind him? He had clearly hit him. He had swung right at him, so there was no way for him to have dodged-

It was then that he realized.

The Tousen he had clobbered simply _wasn't there. _He hadn't even felt anything when his fist connected. In fact, he had attacked an illusion, and had nothing to show for it.

Aizen shook his head lightly, but was smiling on the inside. Ichigo had taken the bait, fallen for it, hook line and sinker.

"Your punishment will be-

Sun-Sun would not let Ichigo take the fall. "Wait, Aizen-sama! I was the one who told him to go to the material world! It was my fault that he attacked Kaname-san!"

Ichigo hissed and spun on his heel to glare at her.

"Idiot, shut up-

"Is this true, Sun-Sun?" Asked Aizen, cutting off the espada.

The fraccion steeled herself, then nodded once. "Hai, Aizen-sama. Do not punish Kurosaki for his deed. I take full responsibility for my actions. And his own."

Aizen seemed to consider this, then nodded.

"Very well. You shall receive his punishment."

He gave Tousen a nod. "Kaname, do it."

Sun-Sun somehow managed not to scream, when the blade sliced through the flesh of her arm, cleaving it off in one clean blow. Ichigo however, _roared_ in fury. He'd planned this! That bastard! He'd kill him! HE'D KILL HIM!

"Hado 54: Way of Abolishing flames!"

Her right arm was now burned away, and Sun-Sun was clutching the stump where it had been. Pain was evident on her face, and she looked like she was about to cry, despite her very best efforts.

"You may go now." Aizen said to the both of them. For a moment, Kurosaki stared venemously at Sosuke, imagining the worst possible torture for the villian. However, he knew full well that attacking was suicide. He didn't have enough allies yet. He wasn't strong enough yet. With these thoughts in mind, he wrapped an arm around Sun-Sun's waist, and ushered her from the room.

Aizen waited until he was gone, before he spoke again.

"You can come out now, Halibel."

From the shadows, emerged a rather unique arrancar.

She had dark skin, green eyes, spiky blonde hair with three prominently-displayed braided locks, which gives her a similar appearance to Isane Kotetsu, and wears an oddly-cut variation of the Arrancar jacket that covers the lower part of her face downward, while baring a good portion of the lower half of her breasts; this jacket, unlike that of other Arrancar, is provided with a zipper running along its entire length that is opened from the bottom upwards.

The jacket's sleeves completely envelop her arms, terminating in black glove-like extensions at her extremities, which slightly gives her fingers the appearance of a cat's paws. Physically, she appeared to be just about as well-endowed as Rangiku Matsumoto. Her jacket was extended slightly in the to better cover this, but the twin mounds of flesh were still partially exposed. Halibel carried her Zanpakutō on her back. The sword itself is notably broad and short compared to others, and has a western-style guard.

She was the fifth espada.

"You're fraccion have already been chosen for you."

"..."

She did not answer.

--

Ichigo sat Sun-Sun down on his bed, and ignored the startled cries from Loly and Menoly as he removed her shirt. Apache and Mila-Rose remained ominously silent. Luppi wore an indecipherable look on her face.

She blushed lightly, but raised her arms all the same, as he pulled off the jacket under it. Surprisingly, Sun-Sun wore a strapless version of what humans would call a bra. Ignoring her blush, the espada immediately turned his attention to her arm.

What he saw was not pretty.

It had been sliced just below the shoulder, and there wasn't very much left of it.

"Everyone out." He commanded, and his tone made it clear that he was not in the mood for questioning. "Go to the other room. Now." Luppi and Mila-Rose obediently ushered out Loly and Menoly, and Apache left with one last glance over her shoulder.

As soon as they were gone, Ichigo seized Sun-Sun by her face.

He spoke slowly and clearly, to get his point across to her.

"Listen to me, Sun-Sun. I am going to heal you. It is going to hurt." Panic momentarily shone in her eyes, and he would have none of it. He shook her lightly. "But you have to be quiet. You can't say a word, you can't make even the _slightest_ of sounds. Do you understand me?"

She nodded.

"Now, hold your breath."

She did so, not flinching as he pinched her nose, and tilted her head back. Momentarily removing his right hand, he bit his thumb, and the scent of his blood filled the room. He bit down until he determined that the wound would be slow to regenerate, and when it did not do so, he pressed his thumb against he base of her shoulder.

Blood trickled from the punctured digit, and began to run down into her shoulder. He pressed his full palm against her shoulder, and squeezed down. She did not whimper, she did not cry out as his nails dug into her skin. She did not protest, even when his entire hand began to glow red, then white.

It was a cero, and they both knew it, but stil, she did not struggle.

She trusted him.

"Good girl." He soothed her. "Now, breathe out." She did so, and his hand released her nose, moving down to her remaining hand. He placed his fingers atop hers.

"Now squeeze. Hard." She did, and he felt almost every bone in that hand break. Wincing, Ichigo could not help but briefly admire her strength. Good thing he could regenerate. Lastly, just before he loosed his creation on her shoulder...

"Now...close your eyes."

Sun-Sun did so, and almost immediately found something wet and moist across her lips. It was Ichigo. For a moment, she was too stunned to react to this, but then the cero impacted, and she forgot all about it. Her eyes went wide in raw agony, but despite the searing pain, she did not pass out, and miracuously maintained conciousness.

Had he not covered her mouth, her muffled scream would have been heard all the way to Soul Society. As it was, her scream just came out as a low whimper.

That was to be expected.

When the smoke and steam cleared, she had a perfectly good arm.

It was wrapped around his neck.

She broke the kiss and looked at her arm. Mouth opening in a silent 0, she flexed her fingers, to determine if it was real or fake. Her hand clenched and unclenched perfectly. It was good as new.

"Don't... do that... again." He panted, clearly out of breath. "I can only do that trick once."

She stared at him with happy, tear filled eyes.

"Ichigo-sama...why didn't you just let me use my resureccion?"

He gave her a content grin.

"Because, it was _my_ fault you lost your arm in the first place. From now on, I'll take responsibility for my actions. Alright?"

It came as no surprise when she kissed him furiously.

**Next up: Where is Neliel? Nnoitra's promotion.**


	9. Refusal

(Lab)

Urahara worked tirelessly on the replication of the Hogyoku. He had been lacking the materials necessary, and even with Mayuri's assistance, this was meticuously slow going. He had to admit though, Kurotsuchi was tireless, and kept pace with him rather well.

However, Ichigo's blood sample wasn't rejecting the material as they had expected. In fact, when they exposed it to a sample of human flesh, it seemed to be...

Replicating.

The two scientists exchanged a glance.

"Should...it be doing that?" Mayuri sounded intrigued, but there was an unmistakeable hint of worry in his voice. The cell under the microscope was replicating at an alarmingly fast pace.

Something was being created.

That couldn't be good.

Neither was the sudden explosion of light and smoke.

"Ugh...where am I?" Asked a voice through the steam.

Urahara wore a gobsmacked look, whilst Mayuri just stared.

Before them, was a young girl with purple hair and a red ribbon tied in it. She had large orange eyes, and a confused look all over her face. At her feet lay what looked like a shakujo **(Monk's staff).** Clearly she was just as confused as the two scientists.

"And who might you be?" Asked Urahara, drapping his cloak around her. She smiled in thanks, and clutched its fabric about herself. "Senna...The girl replied, rubbing her head. "At least, I think that's my name....

Mayuri was astounded, stunned speechless beyond words. This was revolutionary! Using just a _pint_ of arrancar blood, they had created a seperate entity entirely!

Truly astounding!

Urahara was terribly dissapointed however. They'd used most of Ichigo's blood in that experiment, and now they had only a drop left.

Instead of finding a way to neutralize Ichigo's hollow powers...

They'd created an entirely different person!

--

When Loly and the other fraccion were allowed back in the room, she was the one who first noticed several key changes. For one, Sun-Sun had her arm back, but was still topless. She was also resting her head contentedly against Ichigo's shoulder, as he had an arm curved around her bare waist.

She did not like what she was seeing not even the slightest bit.

But what was most surprising, was the look upon the esapda's face. It was content, yet serious, happy yet sad. That, and it took him a second or two to actually notice their prescence.

"Everyone, sit down. I have an announcement to make."

--

"So what do you think that was about?" Mila-Rose spoke the question first. He had each of them down, and gave them a stern talking to about not taking responsibility for his actions.

Ever.

"He probably wants to keep us safe?" Ventured Menoly.

Loly wholeheartedly agreed with her sister on this.

Luppi nodded her consent.

Sun-Sun just smiled mysteriously, hiding her face with a long sleeve.

Apache had seen enough of that, and was rather fed up with it. "Alright Sun, spill it. What's with the goofy grin? You've been smiling like that for an hour now."

Sun-Sun didn't seem to hear her.

"Oi!" She waved a hand before her face.

"I'm talking to you!"

"Oh, did you say something?"

Mila-Rose sweatdropped.

"Sheesh, she's totally gone."

--

Kurosaki showed up at the meeting, sat down, and waited for the others to arrive. Unfortunately, they were a long time in coming, and he was soon strumming the fingers of his left hand impatiently upon the table.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say he's doing this to piss us off."

"Maybe he slept in?"

"I highly doubt that."

Of course Neliel was already there, and he was sitting next to her as always. Conversing with her, drinking tea, and lounging around with his fraccion were some of the things he actually enjoyed doing around here. That, and sitting here, in his favorite spot. He liked to think of this as his seat. Try and take it from him at your own risk.

Yammy had found that one out the hard way.

"Ichigo?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think of Nnoitra?"

The question surprised him. What did he think of Nnoitra? Well, for starters, he hated him. The lecher was almost always making a move on one of _his _fraccion, constantly trying to goad _him_ into a fight, and just pissing him off in general.

Nnoitra was up definitely up there with Aizen on his list of people to kill once he became king.

"I don't trust him." This was what he settled for. "And neither should you. He's scum, and I think he had a grudge against you."

She seemed satisfied at this, was about to say more-

Then everyone came in.

As usual tea was served, the usual was discussed-

But this time, there was a change in the routine.

A rather attractive change.

There was a new arrancar in one of the two empty seats.

The ranks were slowly filling up.

"Greetings my brother's and sisters." Boomed Aizen from his throne. He gestured towards the newcomer. "I would like to introduce you to our newest comrade, Halibel. She will be filling the position as fifth espada."

Ichigo seemed to zone out after that, until his name was called.

"Ichigo, would you be interested in another foray to Karakura town? I'm sure it'll be worth your while."

Now, Aizen wasn't stupid. He knew that Ichigo _had _to be fuming by now. He had to be sulking over what had happened to his fraccion, and with Halibel having recently joined the ranks, there was bound to be blood. He had probably already ripped a hapless numeros apart.

That was what most vasto lorde did when they didn't get their way.

Therefore, he needed to placate him.

He was determined to go to great lengths to do so.

It mattered not if he encountered his friends.

He already had Sun-Sun tying him to this place. She was only the first shackle. It would only be a matter of time before he was fully chained down. When he saw the espada out of his room, chatting amiably with Lillenette, he'd known what it would take to keep Ichigo here, memories or no.

Giving him the rank of primera would accomplish that, but he was loathe to lose Stark. Ichigo would probably only take the rank if he was allowed to kill his fellow espada.

Since that result was undesireable, another, more simplistic solution would be devised. Using Kyoka Suiegetsu, he could mask Ichigo's appearance from the others, but it would be seen by the target, whom he identified.

Ichigo was more than ready to go.

"No shit?"

"I kid you not, Kurosaki. Just retrieve the target, and I will allow you to go and come from earth as you please." To sweeten the deal, but to also make it seem like it wasn't _too_ perfect, he added one stipulation.

"However, for the purposes of stealth, could you please bring only one of your fraccion?"

--

"Mila-Rose."

The amazon looked up from polishing her blade.

"What is it, Ichigo-sama?"

He extended his hand with her.

"I need you to come with me."

Without the slightest hesitation, she got up and followed after him.

"And where are we going?"

He licked his lips.

"To capture a bount."

--

Urahara felt Ichigo's reaitsu and scowled darkly.

Why was he back again?

Senna stiffened, and her pupils seemed dilate. She felt something pulling at her, tugging at her soul. The need to follow this reaitsu was overpowering, and suddenly encompased her entire being.

Senna was suddenly gone, and out the window.

_'Blast, of all the rotten timing!' _Fumed Kisuke as he gave pursuit.

--

"My my, aren't you a beauty...

He came out of friggin nowhere.

One minute she was lounging in the mansion-

The next, someone had grabbed her, moved at an incredibly fast speed-

And now she was somewhere else.

She had dark green hair and wears a purple traditional Chinese-style pao with beige pants. There was a fierce, natural beauty about her, but she seemed to be somewhat masculine and intimidating, judging by the spike of killer intent she sent his way.

"Who the hell're you?"

"Name's Ichigo." Said the stranger, as he unslung his zanpaktou.

"Yoshi." She said guardedly.

She couldn't retreat, because Mila-Rose was now behind her, clearly there to bar her path.

Ichigo licked his lips. "Let's have a little one on one, shall we, bount?"

Before she could say anything, he sprang!

His blade met a shield, and bounced off.

Her fan had become the shield, and her arm was now armored.

A very handy ability.

"Heh. Not bad. But lets see how _durable_ it is."

Zangetsu descended upon her shield again. The impact was enough to make her arm go numb. He struck again, and the attack cracked her shield. Again, and she went to one knee.

"Is this your best?"

She rolled away, retracting her shield, before he could attack again.

The armor shifted on her arm, and he watched as a sword now took the place of the shield.

"Perhaps your offense is better."

Unfortunately, she moved _painfully_ slow, and he sidestepped with the lightest of ease-

And was surprise to see a thin gash blossom on his cheek. Behind the main blade, now trailed several energy swords, one of which had knicked the side of his face.

Surprisingly, he laughed.

"Oho! What's this? You might be interesting after all!"

When she came back around for another strike, he was the one to roll away. Instead of striking, he came up behind her, and grabbed her in a chokehold, with his arm. When she struggled, He pulled her close, whispering in her ear.

"Ah, ah, ah. Don't struggle. You're coming with us."

Before she could attempt anything else, he sharply hit her in the neck.

She slumped over unconcious.

Unceremoniously, he tossed the bount to Mila-rose.

"Alright. We're done."

He opened the garganta, and she stepped through, their quary slung over her shoulder.

But just as he was about to make his exit-

Fate intervened.

"Call forth the twilight: Mirokumaru!"

He roared in pain as something ripped into his side, taking with it a huge piece of his side. He staggered back and the rip closed behind Mila-Rose, trapping her in Hueco Muendo But this was not natural pain! His eyes dilated, as a something stirred at the conciousness.

His memories.

Recoiling, he held his side and hissed in pain. Glaring at his attacker, he saw that it was a girl. She was glaring at him with a look of pure hatred.

Pain exploded in his cranium, at the sight of her.

Unbidden, his mind began to recall all kinds of things.

Human things.

"What...hell...?"

He recoiled from the memories as if they were poison. But he could not shirk away from them, as they all crashed down, drowned him, swallowed him up without any thought for his sanity.

He remembered.

He remembered everything.

But he didn't want to!

Stop!

He wanted...

HE WANTED IT TO STOP!

"Ichigo!"

Great! Now that shinigami was here!

Everyone was here!

"Vanish! I'll make all of you vanish!"

Faster than anyone would have thought possible, he brought out his blade. Sinister laughter soon accompanied it. Everyone looked at him with fear, but he didn't care.

"I'll make all of it dissapear-

His eyes fell on Rukia, and his grin became manic.

"Including you, Rukia!"

The light burst into life around him, and he grinned wickedly.

"Now, die!"

Urahara leapt forward, revealing a small sphere in the palm of his left hand-

"Mata: Luna del corte!"

**Next time: I remember. I remember everything.**

**Preview: "Bastard! Where is Neliel?!" **

**Nnoitra hefted his scythe and smirked, exposing the new tattoo upon his tongue.**

**It was a five.**

**"She's dead. I killed her."**


	10. Acceptance and Sadness

The resulting explosion of reaitsu slammed into Urahara, driving him into the ground. But just before the momentum took over, he strained his arm to the breaking point, just enough to brush the newly made Hogyoku up against Ichigo's chest.

A feral scream, then a trio of black claws raked across his chest.

He blacked out, smiling...

Everyone took a step back as Kisuke was violently heaved out of the reaitsu dome. His body sported bad burns all over, and he was clearly unconcious.

Orihime began to tend to his wounds, but Rukia shook her head.

"No, he'll be fine."

Ichigo laughed wildly, as the storm of power began to fade.

From the steam a tail was seen.

Then he emerged, completely changed.

Everyone shivered a bit.

His skin had turned completely white, but that was not the worst of it. He now looked like a full hollow. His form was lizard-like, and his orange hair had grown into a long mane. His face was fully masked, and his teeth had become serrated fangs. The spikes on his shoulders, and the barb on his tail, only served to further the intimidation factor.

His eyes had changed as well, no longer white, but black, the pupils now an eerie, pure yellow. Zangetsu itself was now a set of black claws, which he wore over his otherwise white hands.

Steam escaped his jaws, accompanied by a fierce hiss. He clacked the long serated edges together, emitting a horrifying shrieking sound. Chilling laughter escaped him.

**"Now...who to kill first?"**

His eyes fell on Sado, and a long, serpentine tongue flicked out of his maw.

**"Die."**

Chad was struck down in less than a second blood spurting from the wound as Ichigo ripped off his right arm, using nothing but his teeth. It was a terrible hit, and removed the limb just below the elbow. Before the pain could register in his mind, Ichigo's tail smote him upside the head, rendering him unconscious.

Senna was caught equally unprepared, though she did manage to strike him with her shikai, before she too fell prey to his claws. With a judicious exertion of his reaitsu, he extended the nails, and ripped out a good chunk of her hip as he passed.

She collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, attempting to stop the bleeding with her fingers.

As the espada turned to find his next victim, a thin gash blossomed on his right shoulder, though it healed instantly a second later. With a hiss, the lizard spun to face Ashido, who clutched his zanpaktou with trembling hands, well aware that this might be his final hour.

**"That...was a mistake!"**

Ichigo sprang at him like a panther, but Ashido rolled under him. His blade came up under Ichigo's stomach thrust upward, and raked across his skin as he went past. The blow, which had been meant to rip the arrancar in two, did not so much as scratch him.

But by the time he'd realized this, the tail had snaked about his neck. Ichigo grinned as he began to choke the shinigami, squeezing the life right out of his very lungs.

"Ashido!" Screamed Rukia, as she held up her blade, trying to get his attention. Ichigo turned towards her, and stopped playing with Ashido. Conciousness left the redhead, as he was violently slammed into, then _through_ a building. He was left to be buried by the rubble.

Tatsuki screamed in horror, whilst Orihime had been rendered mute by the unspeakable atrocities he had just wrought. Not wasting a second, she scrambled to heal Chad and Senna, the latter having already lost a copious amount of blood.

But now the hollow was squaring off against Rukia.

He bared his teeth insidiously.

**"What's wrong, little soul reaper?"**

Rukia was polarized. She knew this monster had to be put down, but her hands refused to move. She still saw Ichigo deep within this beast, though she could barely even see any trace of her former friend now. But he had to be in there somewhere-no, he WAS in there somewhere, which was the reason she couldn't raise her blade to strike at him.

**_"I can smell your fear."_ **Taunted her inner hollow.

**"If you're not going come to me, then I'll come to you!" **His words broke her out of the inner argument, and she looked up just in time to see his claws descending down upon her!

Shirayuki somehow blocked the deadly razors, but that alone cost her dearly. The sheer force of his strike, not to mention the actual weight itself, was pressing down on her like an anvil. She was already on one knee, and struggling to keep her blade raised.

Finally it became too much, and she had to roll away or be crushed. As his hands embedded themselves into the ground, she came up between him, raised her hand-

His maw snapped at her, and she recoiled in fear, pulling her hand back before he could chomp it off. But in all the chaos, she had forgotten about his tail, which now tripped her up, and whip-lashed her to the ground.

His hands were freed by the impact, and she screamed as pain exploded in her back. A trio of bloody gashes had now been ripped there, deep and raw.

With tears in her eyes, Tatsuki charged! As she ran, she screamed like a demon. With every step, her armor merged with another aspect of her body, up and past her breasts, until only her arms, neck and head were lacking in the protective covering.

"ICHIGOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

He smacked her aside with a flick of his tail. As he did so, the two foot barb on the appendage lashed out, catching her solidly in the gut. She hit the ground with enough force to be dazed, and rolled back onto the terrain, nearly unconscious.

The last obstacle removed, Ichigo now began to claw at Rukia's back. As his claws descended for what felt like the millionth time, she realized there was only one way to get him off her.

"Bankai!"

She was right.

Acting on instinct, he did leap away the moment her reaitsu began to rise. As she burst from the glacier, she took a chance and swung with all her considerable might. Ichigo knew this strike. If it really was him, he'd dodge to the right-

For the first time during this one sided fray, Ichigo screamed in pain as a wave of ice froze his right arm, which then shattered into a million icy pieces. He cluthced at it and hissed in pain.

To her dismay, he regrew another limb, claws and all. But she was more dismayed that he hadn't dodged it. That meant there was either very little of the real Ichigo left, or he just didn't exist any more.

He began to laugh, when he saw the terrified look in her eyes.

A hand reached up to his face.

**"Tell me...Do you want to see something scary?"**

Before she could answer, he abruptly ripped at his face. In an explosion of reaitsu, his body fell away. The white hollow skin shattered upon impact with the soil, fragmenting into so many white crumbly leaves. This left him in his normal form, but with a mask.

The sheer amount of reiatsu he exuded was border on insane. His eyes glared coldly at her. Zangetsu had changed again, but it had now become a long odachi.

**"Behold, Tensa Zangetsu."**

In his eyes, she saw herself die, a hundred times over. Rukia started back in surprise, holding her head as her inner hollow, roused by the intense spiritual pressure began to interfere.

"No! Not now!"

**_"Yes now!"_**

He held up one finger, and pointed it to her chest.

The lone digit began to spark with energy.

"Goodbye-

_Ichigo..._

He blinked, as a female voice sounded in his head.

_Ichigo my son...Why are you doing this?_

He dropped Zangetsu, and began to claw at his head.

_"Who are you?! What are you doing?!"_

_You have been blind, so very blind...._

_"Get outta my head!"_

_Ichigo, I will open your eyes. You must accept what you are..._

_"Leave me alone! I'm not human anymore!"_

_Yes, yes you are my dear._

He felt something tug inside his chest. Whatever it was, pulled harder, harder until he felt like he was being split in two! Too much! It was too much! At this rate, he'd be-

**_"GAAAAAAAAAAAH!" _**Ichigo let out a wail that was loud enough to make Rukia's ears bleed. As he screamed, his mask abruptly shattered, exposing his face. He still continued to scream, until at last, he felt something give way.

His stubbornness, it had simply up and vanished. His refusal, to accept that he was human, was gone, it simply wasn't there anymore. His eyes now darted this way and that, as Zangetsu returned to its normal state.

His human eyes.

But once he saw what he had done, a look of shock and horror reflected itself on his face.

"What...have I...done...?"

The silent sound of a shunpo reached his ears, then-

"KISUKE!"

Immediately, he went into combat mode.

A hard snap kick suddenly smashed him in the gut. Recoiling back, he swung Zangetsu, but struck an afterimage, as Yoruichi was already behind him. The air wheezed out of his lungs, when her knee smashed him in the back, then he felt something break as his ribs were hit.

Briefly, he snapped around, and held a hand up, less than an inch from her face. The look of surprise she wore was priceless, and he savored it for as long as he could, before firing off the attack.

"Bala!" He roared, and the rippling red bullet smacked the goddess of flash in the face. The impact didn't do much more than stun her, but he used that opportunity to get away from the torrential assault she had been raining down upon him.

Now, he was back in control, and his hands crackled with red light.

"Bala!"

He blasted at her incessantly, until she was barely able to stand.

Or so he thought.

The white aura that now burst into life around her, was enough to change his mind about fighting her. She didn't even have a scratch, aside from the burn mark on her face, where he had dealt his only hit to her.

Desperate to get away, he opened a garganta, and set one foot inside it.

"I-Ichigo!"

He turned to look over his shoulder.

"Later, Rukia."

Then he stepped through the portal and was gone.

--

Unfortunately, he was met with ill news once he returned. Not exactly when he returned though. First, he made certain that the bount was secure, then he (grudgingly) reported to Aizen.

It was when he ran into Nnoitra in the halls, that he was given the news.

"SAY WHAT?!"

Nnoitra smirked, exposing his teeth, and his new tattoo.

"Yup. She's dead."

Ichigo opened his Pesquia all the way, and cast it out.

He caught a faint glimmer of reaitsu.

But there was no way that could be Neliel. It wasn't wounded, and it was far too weak...

Grief stricken, and unable to find a place to vent, Ichigo whirled on Nnoitra.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

The toothy grin was the only answer the segunda espada needed.

"Why?! Why the hell did you-

"Because she was a woman." Stated the fifth blandly.

Ichigo was momentarily stunned into silence.

"Say...what...?"

Then he found his voice.

"BASTARD! I'M GONNA RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!"

The reishi funneled into his body, and the wall on the left side disappeared as he drew in energy.

"SLAY-

Nnoitra needed no further provocation.

"Pray-

A hand grabbed his arm, and Nnoitra's, halting their release.

Ichigo recognized her right away.

"Halibel? Let go!"

"No. You are forbidden to release inside Las Noches."

He resisted the urge to attack her as well.

"You will let me go, right now."

"I will do no such thing."

In secret she may be his loyal subject, but in public, she acted as if she'd never even met him. She'd been his first subject since his very first day as king. But due to the alliance he had with her, she wasn't exactly about to make it public that she was planning a rebellion.

And honestly, she infuriated him.

He shook her off, stalked away-

Then spun around, to give Nnoitra a wicked gash across his side. Nnoitra spun to swing with his scythe, but Ichigo was already gone, and striking from behind.

A diagnol left to righ slash ripped into Nnoitra's spine. Then another, and another, until Nnoitra looked like a white and red version of checkers, so badly was he slashed up.

His work finished, Ichigo roughly booted the espada through the wall.

"Live with that, Jiruga. Let's see if you keep your precious rank now.

"Bastard." He hissed through his teeth, as Kurosaki walked away.

"What makes you think-

He clamored up, and began to glow a golden yellow.

-That you can walk away from me?!"

A hand grabbed his arm, and slammed him to the ground.

"That is enough, Nnoitra."

Ichigo paused in midstep, his back still to everyone.

"Ulquiorra, what is it you want."

The palid espada stared at Ichigo's back for a moment, then spoke.

"Ichigo, Aizen-sama wants to see you."

Ichigo nodded his head stiffly.

There would be time to mourn later.

Having his memories restored left him feeling oddly sad, yet content. However, the loss of Neliel had left him badly shaken up, so much so that he wasn't going to get over it, not for a long time. Or so he told himself.

"Then I'd better go see him."

That night, Ichigo Kurosaki would cry.

**No, Neliel isn't dead. She's just been attacked by Nnoitra, remember?**


	11. Farewell, my Friends

**Did I mention that Aizen is a sadistic, cold, cruel, heartless yet entirely bastard? If you don't believe me, then read on, and prepare to detest Aizen's very existence....and admire him at the same time. lol. And please review everyone! I worked really hard on this!**

Aizen smiled benevolently as Ichigo entered the throne room.

"Ah, there you are, Ichigo."

The shinigami noticed Yoshi in the center of the room.

She was chained to a chair, by her arms and legs. The chains themselves were linked to both the chair and floor, effectively binding her in place, while also giving her just enough room to try and break free.

_Try_, but without the slightest chance of succeeding.

"What is she doing here?"

"She, is your reward." Aizen explained simply. "And the reason why I called you here."

Ichigo did not like where this was going, "What are you getting at, shinigami?"Nor did he want to be a part of it. He had a pretty good idea of just what this reward was.

"This woman has an unique ability." As he said this, he looked down to Yoshi. "She can devour souls to maintain her youth, but that in of itself is not her _true_ gift."

He paused, let the weight of his words sink in, then spoke again.

"Though she is a spiritual being, she can produce _life_."

Ichigo went stiff as a board. A look of pure, animalistic fear was reflected in the woman's eyes. Whereas before Ichigo had brought her here, she had looked to be about forty. But Aizen had doubtlessly fed her the souls from some of the lower ranking adjuchas...

That would explain the reason she now looked to be about twenty. Her raw, natural beauty was still there of course, but it was as if it had been enhanced somehow. Her skin seemed to glow from within, so slightly that you'd think of it as a simple tan.

He had his suspicions, but he had to be sure.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Aizen's smile was so fake that even Kon could've seen through it.

"Oh come now, must I be blunt with you, Kurosaki?" When Ichigo refused to answer him, Sosuke let out a small sigh. "I want you...to mate with her." For a moment, Ichigo stared at Aizen in sheer disbelief.

"WHAT?!"

Though she was gorgeous, and though it _was_ enticing...

He knew it was wrong!

"Why the hell are you asking me?!"

"Is it not obvious? I want to see just what sort of spiritual being will be produced." A simple shrug. "You are one of the most powerful spiritual beings here. Stark has already declined my generous offer, so my reasons for summoning _you_ should have been made obvious from the start."

He was struck speechless by this request. The revulsion he felt towards this man, it could not be described with _mere words, _or simply syllables_._ He'd much rather express himself with his sword right now.

"It may take months," Aizen went on, "But I can assure you, my reasons for this are purely scientific."

Yoshi looked to where the espada was, and observed him practically trembling with anger. It was as if he were a dormant volcano, ready to spew forth deadly lava at any second, consuming all in his fiery path.

"And if I refuse?" This came out as a flat hiss.

Another, almost helpless shrug. "If for some reason you are unable to perform this duty...Then I suppose I can always ask _another _espada to fufill it for you." His eyes seemed to harden, as if his words contained an unspoken threat.

Ichigo paled, despite this.

As much as he hated to admit it, Stark was the only other decent _male _esapda besides himself. Szayel might experiment on Yoshi, there was no way Yammy would treat her kindly, Grimmjow would probably just bang her and kill her afterwards-

And the thought of Nnoitra even _touching_ an innocent woman made his blood boil.

Ulquiorra _was_a viable option, but he'd likely treat Yoshi like a simple doll. She'd be hollow and lifeless by the time the six months or so were up. The thought alone disgusted him. Somehow, he felt obligated to do this, if not to preserve her safety, then at least...

Because it was the right thing to do.

Even if he absolutely hated it.

"Do you accept this task, Ichigo?"

He had the boy trapped, and there was no way out. He had feelings. That was the key to manipulating anyone and anything. So long as they had some aspect of right and wrong, it could be used against them, bent and twisted until they were doing the _wrong thing_but for the right reasons.

Ichigo Kurosaki now found himself caught in such a trap.

"I...accept it."

The creepy smile was back in its perfect place. Sosuke snapped his fingers, and the chains shattered, leaving the surprised bount to stare at her wrists, which had been shackled to the arm rest a moment ago.

"She is yours. Take good care of her, Kurosaki."

The strawberry blond silently approached the chair.

"C'mon." He grumbled, reaching down to pull her up by the arm. She consented with little to no effort of resistance. She wasn't physically injured, but mentally, she was _broken_.

Yoshi had a soulless look in her eyes now. She'd seen the power of these strange beings first hand, and it had all but shattered her fighting, spitfire spirit. It was almost as if she had resigned herself to her fate to be nothing more than a bitch that was good for little other than screwing.

If there was a way out of this, she hadn't found it yet.

"Good. I shall have someone stop by tomorrow to see if really did 'accept' it." Called Aizen over their backs. She felt the grip on her arm tighten slightly, then the one known as Ichigo hissed in displeasure.

_'Damnit he's good!'_

There was no way in hell he was going along with this! He could easily dump her back on earth, but if he did that, then Aizen would probably drag her back here.

There was one other way...

But to pull it off, or to even have a chance of doing so, he'd have to make it look pretty damn good.

"Let's go." He sighed, pulling her along at a faster pace.

"Already...?" She murmured as her pace hastened to match his, and in doing so, he could not help but notice how _soft_ her voice was. It was as if she was an entirely different person, one that had seen such horrors that should exist only in nightmares.

"Baka yarou! Of course not!" His denial actually left her _annoyed_. So he was lying to her on top of all this absurdity! It was bad enough that she was going to become a mother against her will, but now might as well be spitting in her face!

And with this, came a spark of defiance.

"Let go of me!" She shrieked, slapping at him with her bare hand. "Let me go right now!" He kept walking, despite the fact that she was digging her heels into the ground, and fighting him every step of the way.

It did her little good as he maintained his pace with little to no effort. But even Ichigo had a breaking point, and she was pushing it. When she did not stop after five more minutes of this, he whirled about and seized her wrists with enough force to nearly break them, had he squeezed but slightly.

"Idiot!" He hissed under his breath. "Do you want me to get you out of here or not?!"

His sudden statement sucked the spark right out of her eyes.

"Wh-What?"

Ichigo rolled his golden brown eyes for what felt like the millionth time.

"I know somewhere were you'll be safe. But you have to promise me, _promise me_ you'll stop killing. Stop being evil." Yoshi was taken aback. She had never really _seen_ herself as evil, she'd just been trying to get the maximum amount of satisfaction out of her life and everything around it.

Talk about biased.

But if she was getting a one way ticket out of this hellhole, then she'd gladly take it.

"Um...sure?"

He seemed to smile, or it might've been a frown, she couldn't really tell in the darkness. "Now if you'll stop dragging yer feet, this way.... Ichigo led her down a hall, out a door, and then skidded to a halt in an empty, nondescript room. Looking about to make sure they hadn't been followed, he reached out, and touched at the air with one finger.

"Here."

The garganta now stretched before her, its black abyss beckoning to her. The void seemed strangely welcoming, offering her a world of safety, apart from this hellacious wasteland.

"Do you see this?" Whispered Ichigo. "This is your freedom."

She took a half step forward, but he grabbed her wrist.

Panic seized her, but he shook his head.

"_Tomorrow_, I am going to open this. I will take you to the human world. Find a place called Urahara Shoten." That was all well and good, but now, a terrible fear gripped her.

"And...tonight?"

He blinked, then blushed.

"Ecchi!"

He caught her by the wrist before she could slap him across the face.

"Do not take me lightly." He hissed. "If I could, I would gladly send you on your way now. I am only doing this because I know for certain you will not be safe here."

Although she took slight offense and his implication that she was weak, Yoshi did not voice her complaint.

"Then why-

His reaitsu spiked, nearly forcing her to one knee. "Let me finish." It was if she were suddenly in an ocean, and unable to move, unable to breath, suffocating just beneath the surface.

_'Incredible! Such spiritual pressure! Its as if he's strangling the life right out of me...._

Kariya had _nothing _on this guy!

When he released the pressure, she was on her hands and knees, gasping for breath. Sweat beaded from her brow, and dripped to the stone floor, creating a small puddle.

When she had rose to her feet, the espada continued his explanation.

"Aizen said that he'd wait the six months, and check on you tomorrow. Meaning that once he does, I can make use of the loophole he left behind, and send you to the human world. He likely won't come after you until the six months have been exhausted."

"And then?"

Now a smirk tugged at his lips.

Idly, she realized he was more handsome when he smiled.

"And by _then_, he'll be dead."

A coup d'etat.

He was planning a take over.

In her many years she'd seen similar rebellions fall apart at the seams. Whether it was through poor leadership, lack of courage and resolve, or plain incompetence, they had all failed. However, something in her her secretly prayed and hoped that this one would be successful.

If not... then after six months of freedom, she'd be back here.

It was then that it occurred to her.

"You never answered my question, strawberry."

She was pleased to see that the nickname irked him. The victory was a small one, but it was a win, nevertheless. "You said that he'd check on me tomorrow. How do you plan to deceive him?" At this, the arrancar's face seemed to fall, but only slightly.

"_Now_you can call me an ecchi."

--

Ichigo burst into the room, exuding such force that he nearly buckled his fraccion to the ground. Luppi saw the look in his eyes, Apache saw Yoshi behind him, and they both knew what was going on, before he said it.

"Alright Loly, time to go."

"C'mon Menoly, we have to get that surprise ready."

Of course there was no surprise, it was just an excuse to get the two of them out of here.

She and Mila-Rose hastily ushered the two younger girls out, sending Sun-Sun with them for good measure. If either of those three realized what Ichigo was-no, _had _to do, then there'd be a riot.

Yoshi sat herself down on the bed, with a forlorn look in her eyes.

"I can...knock you out, if that's what you want." Ichigo ventured. Warrior though he was, he was entirely inexperienced in this field. And for good reason. Losing his virginity hadn't exactly been on his list of things to do today!

She seemed to seriously consider the option, but shook her head all the same in the end. "No. That would make me a coward. I won't take the easy way out of this."

More than ever, Ichigo was determined to become king.

He'd make Sosuke _suffer _before he died.

(Next morning)

"Szayel, what have you to report?"

The octava espada gave a low bow, with the slightest of flourishes.

"The result has come back positive, Aizen-sama."

Sosuke smirked.

"Excellent."

--

The portal opened, and a lone figure emerged from within, followed by another. Her outfit had changed dramatically, she now wore the standard arrancar sash and hakama. A look of sadness was worn over her face. Her sandaled feet created a small clapping sound, as they touched down on the pavement.

Her companion wore a hooded cowl over his face, but if you looked close enough, you could see some strawberry blond hair poking out. If you were within a foot of him, you would be able to see his sad brownish yellow eyes.

Closer still, and you would see how she clung to his hand, as if it were her only lifeline. Her fingers were intertwined tightly with his own, and they trembled, ever so slightly.

Silently, they walked around the block, until they arrived at their destination. Slowly, they approached the door. He handed her a small piece of paper, then knocked on the door.

"Coming!" Echoed Urahara's sing-song voice.

The two exchanged a glance, and Yoshi looked ready to bolt, right then and there. If Ichigo had not been holding her hand, then she most likely would have done so.

But he gave her a reassuring squeeze, and she relaxed, if only slightly.

The door slid open now.

"Welcome to Urahara Shoten-

Kisuke froze, then stiffened.

"And who might you be, miss?"

Yoshi looked to her right, as if she expected someone to be there.

But though her hand was still warm, no one was there, much to her crestfallen dismay.

She handed Urahara the paper.

After reading over it, his eyes tripled, and his gaze darted up to the sky.

There was no one there.

"Where...did you get this?

--

Ichigo smiled sadly, from where he stood in the air, re-emerging from the garganta in order to hide his presence. A sad, almost forlorn smile pulled at his lips. He hadn't known her well, and though they had done it against both of their wills, he felt some sort of strange bond with this bount.

"Farewell, Yoshi."

He laughed bitterly.

This really wasn't fair. If he'd had a chance who to give his virginity too, he'd rather have done it in a more meaningful way. Not to say the sex hadn't been great, but both of them had done just to get it over with, although their had been some macabre attempts at kissing.

A lone tear dripped down his face, as he watched her be ushered inside by 'Hat n' clogs'.

But still...

He was really, really hoping Aizen hadn't given her some kind of guaranteed pregnancy drug. Though he wouldn't put it past him to do something like that, Kurosaki found himself hoping that Aizen had just left the loophole their unintentionally, and it wasn't some elaborate plot that he had just ensnared her in.

**Concerned? **Asked Zangetsu.

Despite himself, Ichigo started.

_'Oh, its you. I haven't heard your voice in awhile.'_

**I was waiting until you accepted yourself. You're more serene now, so here I am. **Commented the zanpaktou.

_'Yeah, I accepted the truth.'_

**What was it that changed your mind?**

_'Alot of things, I guess. I was being childish.'_

**What will you do now, Ichigo?**

_'I honestly don't know.'_

**An acceptable answer.**

_'Hey, can I ask you a question?'_

**I will try to answer it.**

_'Is she, well, y'know..._

The spirit chuckled.

**I can't tell you, but try asking again in six months. You'll have your answer then.**

_'Damn. Yer a sadistic sonova bitch, ya know that?'_

**I'm a part of you. **Zangetsu countered. **It is to be expected.**

It was time to go back.

Kurosaki looked longingly to the setting sun. It was so beautiful, so brilliantly clean and pure. It always rose and set, signalling the end of the day, no matter what might happen. Its beauty was unparalleled, and it illuminated all. Perhaps that was why all hollows hated the sunlight. It exposed the lies, eliminated the deceit. It spoke of truth, justice and all that was pure. That was why he loved it so. It truly was the only unbiased object in this god forsaken world.

He had a few more stops to make, just enough time before Aizen realized he was gone. He paused, to listen for any sort of sound. Laughter could be heard from within the shop. Good, she was alright.

"I'm leaving her to you, Urahara. You'd better take good care of her."

He stepped into the abyss and was lost once again...

--

This was his first stop, but then again, he had been here already.

But when he arrived, Yuzu was already fast asleep.

As usual, she was clutching Kon tightly to her chest. A small smile tugged at his lips, as he was rather amused to see the add-ons the lion plushie had been given in his absence. The sound of snoring reached his ears, and he resisted the urge to chuckle. Good, even the mod soul was sleeping. Yuzu's eyes were wet with tears however, and that killed his mirth.

She shivered, when he reached down to dry her eyes.

"Ichigo...

Silently, he reached for the blanket, and pulled it closer around her shivering frame. Almost immediately, the sad frown turned to a smile, and she clutched tightly to the comforter.

Her eyes opened sleepily.

"Ichigo...?"

"Sh," He whispered to her, stroking her brunette hair lightly with one hand. The other slid over her eyes, closing them with but the slightest pressure. "Go back to sleep Yuzu, you're dreaming."

"Kay..." She murmurred, closing her eyes, and holding Kon tighter to her chest. The action of which produced a small squeaking sound. Ichigo stared at her for but a little while longer, then looked about the room.

Yup, Kon was still the only doll she dressed up.

His feet silently padded on the floorboards, careful not to make the slightest of squeaking sounds. He silently closed the door to Yuzu's room behind him. He was tempted to use garganta, but that might alert everyone to his presence.

So for now, he creeped down the halls...

--

And entered Karin's room.

She was wrapped up snugly in the blankets. Her eyes were dry, and there was no evidence as to whether she had been crying. After all, she always was the strong one.

An open book lay at the foot of the bed.

Taking it in hand, he felt his eyes begin to water.

It was her diary.

There was so much written here...

So much about him.

He flipped to the most recent page.

_Dear diary:_

_Ichigo still hasn't come back. I'm beginning to think he really is dead. Yuzu still cries herself to sleep every night, and dad...well, he hasn't really been so goofy lately. I kinda miss him kicking Ichigo in the head. They'd always roll around on the ground, beating the snot out of each other..._

_Why can't things be like they were before?_

Sniffing, Ichigo realized that a tear had fallen onto the page.

Directly next to where she had jammed her pen in the diary.

He took it out, turned to a new page, and wrote an entry of his own. He was careful to make it his exact handwriting, so Karin would recognize it as him. It was difficult not to write a second page, but after he filled a full page, front and back, he determined that it was enough.

He smirked and put it atop the dresser, with the page open to that entry.

Now, his time was short, and he took a risk.

--

She was caught entirely unawares as the presence of the garganta came out of nowhere. One minute she was silently meditating, then the rip abruptly opened in her room. Or rather, the one she had shared with Ichigo, but Isshin was now letting her use.

Faster than any human could move, she slipped out of her gigai, drawing Shirayuki in one smooth, fluid motion. The abyss grew wider before her, and she recognized the uniform of an arrancar. It opened further, further, higher-

Until a face was finally seen.

"Yo." He raised a hand in greeting, gave a small smile.

Rukia nearly fell off the bed.

"I-Ichigo?!"

"Yeah, that'd be me."

Clamoring up, Rukia did not know whether to sheathe her sword, or swing it.

"W-What're you doing here-

He sighed, shoulders slumping.

"I came...to say goodbye. This is the last time you'll see me, until the war. When next we meet, we'll be enemies."

Without another word, he ducked back into the rip.

--

He now gave his father something to remember him by, the only way he could.

He whacked him upside the head, then withdrew from the garganta before he could be seen.

--

Senna was waiting on a nearby roof, as he had anticpated.

"Alright, just what are you?" He asked, as she drew Mirokumaru. "I can tell that you're not a shinigami, but you're not an arrancar either, judging by what you did to my head." He crossed his arms, then tapped one foot in the air.

"Well, hurry up! I'm not in the mood for fighting the likes of you!"

"Fine."

In the blink of an eye, she was less than an inch from him.

"Watch."

She poked him in the chest, and he recoiled instinctively.

Nothing happened.

_Now do you see?_

Startled, Ichigo momentarily lost his composure. "Holy shit! The hell're you doing in my head!"

"I was created using a sample of your blood. I'm basically a collection of your memories, given physical form.

She smiled at him brightly.

"I'm practically your sister!"

Ichigo gaped, his facade of mild disinterest completely gone now.

"Whoa whoa there! You're me?! Prove it!"

"Kay...um...your favorite color is red, you lost someone very important to you named Neliel, but you think she's alive, and your zanpaktou's name is Zangetsu." He stared at her for a second. Of all those things, they could have been guesses...

But not the part about Neliel.

That was too specific, and he knew he hadn't mentioned anything to anyone about her. Least of all that he still believed her to be alive. "You, what is your name?"

"Senna." She replied brightly. "Sorry that I attacked you earlier."

"And I apologize for almost killing you."

Surprisingly, she laughed.

"Its fine, really! I heal really fast!"

_'She has regenerative capabilities? I'd best keep an eye on her.'_

"Well then, Senna-san, it was nice meeting you."

He let the reishi build in his feet.

"I hope to test the full extent of your powers, some other time."

In the static blur of a Sonido, he was gone.

--

Tatsuki looked up from her bed, then blinked, once, twice, three times. She had to be seeing things. Was that a _hole _growing out of her ceiling? No way. The ceiling didn't suddenly sprout holes. It couldn't possibly be-

A figure landed on the foot of her bed, his body in a crouch. He had dropped out of the hole. Almost immediately, she recoiled, and scampered back as far as she possibly could. She didn't get very far, until her head banged itself against the bed-rest.

She opened her mouth to scream for help, but a cold hand abruptly clamped itself over her mouth. She bit it, but doing so only hurt her teeth, and he didn't even bleed from her bite.

"Tatsuki, its me!" The figure hissed.

As if to prove it, he pulled back his hood, and as he did, the moonlight shone through the curtains, illuminating his face. "I'm gonna let go now. And when I do, you'd better not scream.

She nodded, and he released his hand.

"Ichigo...?"

He wasn't attacking.

His eyes fell on her bandaged chest, then he blushed lightly.

"Look, I... came here to apologize. For what I did to you guys. But next time...

He was tired of sighing, so he just let himself trail off.

"For your sake and mine, I hope there _isn't _a next time."

The fire of hope, which had been flickering in her heart, died with his words. Her eyes began to water, and within a second, they were swimming with tears.

"W-What're you saying?"

He pulled himself back, and stood up. When he spoke, his voice had an ominous tone to it. "Tatsuki, I am an espada. Though I may be human, my allegiance lies with Aizen now. If I were to leave, he would threaten my friends, yourself included. Even now, you're in danger because of me."

He towered over her, like a god.

"When the war comes, I want you, Chad, Orihime, everyone, I want you all to run." It was almost as if he were speaking of judgement day. "Run as far away from Karakura as you possibly can."

His hand touched the air, and the strange wormhole again greeted her eyes.

"Thank you, Tatsuki."

"Baka!" She screamed this deliberately, and now the sound of footsteps came pounding up the steps! "Why the hell are you thanking me for?! You're the one leaving!"

"I never thanked you for standing up for me." He replied simply.

The door banged open, and he was greeted with the sight of Chad and Orihime."

"Goodbye, my friends." He whispered, and stepped through.

And then he was lost.

Lost once again to the world.

--

(Hueco Muendo)

He sat upon the dome, his legs hanging over its edge. A tear, then another, and another escaped his eyes as he stared up into the perpetual moonlight, a sigh escaping his lips. "Damnit.... The moonlight was indeed peaceful, but it just wasn't quite as comforting as the sun could be.

As Neliel had been.

He'd now officially left his life on earth behind, or rather, he would've liked to believe so. In truth, there was still a part of him that ached to return, and though he could, what difference would it make?

It would seem that whomever he got close to, was cursed. Whenever he began to open up to someone, they were either destined to remain unreachable, or worse, die.

Sun-Sun was the sole exception in that regard, but only because he had kept a watchful eye on her. But what if something were to happen to her? What if Apache 'dissapeared' next?

Groaning, he clutched at his head with both hands.

He really didn't want to think about losing any more of his friends. It had taken every ounce of his willpower to bid them (Human friends) goodbye.

"What should I do...

"Well for starters, you could tell me where you're going before you disappear." Came the reply.

He knew by the voice that it was Luppi.

"Does everyone know about this place?" He grumbled slightly, as she sat down beside him. Her legs dangled over the edge, and she swung them to and fro, almost as if it were a game.

"Not everyone. But mostly everyone."

"You speak riddles."

A soft laugh graced his ears.

"Oh, so you prefer a simple girl, like Ggio-chan?"

She was referring to the newest fraccion Ichigo had taken in. That girl was loyal to a fault, even referring to Ichigo as "His majesty" a title the espada actually enjoyed, instead of just tolerating his other nicknames such as Ichi, Ichigo-kun, strawberry, and other such embarrassing titles of affection.

She was rewarded with a blush.

"I-I don't _prefer _any sort of girl."

"Oh, so you'll take on any comers then?" She teased him lightly.

"You're twisting my words!"

Luppi laughed into her sleeve.

"I'm just adding a layer of depth. There is no twisting involved."

"Bah, you delight in tormenting me."

He felt a hand atop his.

"You know that's not true. I'm simply trying to cheer you up. You've been down every since Neliel-sama died."

_'She's not dead.' _He hissed to himself, stubbornly refusing to believe what everyone else had already accepted as reality. _'There's no friggin way she'd lose to someone like Nnoitra.'_

"Yeah, but it'll take a lot more than holding hands with you to do that." He said this with an air of bitterness.

"Then would you like to rest your head in my lap?" She purred this seductively.

The question came so suddenly, that he was caught entirely unawares. Ichigo found himself actually _nodding_, before his mind had even _processed_ what his ears had already heard.

Then he realized what had just been said.

"W-What?!"

"Oh come now, I'm sure Sun-Sun asked you the same thing."

"You speak lies!" He stammered defensively. "She said no such thing-Urk!" He was caught of guard, surprised when a hand snaked around his neck, was pressed to his head, and pulled him down to the left-

Landing his head right into her lap.

"Go on, make yourself comfortable." She cooed this to him as she ran a hand through his spiky hair, whilst he looked up at her. Well, it was rather comfortable, and she was soft...

"Comfy?"

"...Yeah...

"Aha! There you two are!" Cried a voice.

That would have to be Apache.

"Hmm, perhaps this is a bad time?" That sounded like Sun-Sun.

"Um...I think it is!" There was no mistaking it to be Menoly.

"Nonsense! Ichigo-sama deserves some company!" Loly was the speaker now.

"I agree! His majesty should not be sulking like this!" Ggio. There was no mistaking her reference to Ichigo being a king.

"How...annoying." The disinterested voice of Mila-Rose was heard now.

Ichigo jumped out of Luppi's lap and twisted his neck around to see who had come up here with them.

It was the rest of his fraccion.

All six of them.

"Oh, it would appear we've been found out." Laughed Luppi, whilst Ichigo himself blushed madly. "Well, don't just stand there girls, you wanted to keep him company, right?" Loly's insistent yes was the loudest of all the various affirmatives each fraccion gave.

Before long, each of them sat somewhere near Ichigo. The segunda was rather surprised by their sudden appearance, but that was not to say he didn't enjoy their company.

"So, did you hear about the mission?" Ventured Menoly.

That became their first topic.

"Mission?" Ichigo spoke this aloud.

"Yup!" Chirped Loly. "Aizen-sama wants us to check out some shinigami!"

Almost immediately, Ichigo went rigid.

_'Aizen, what are you up to?'_

He needed to get rid of Sosuke soon. His actions were becoming more bold, more extreme, with every day. Thus far, he knew Ulquiorra was loyal to a fault. Loyal to Aizen. He'd be a problem. Halibel was on board, Grimmow might give it a go. But when Ichigo had swallowed his pride and hate enough to approach Nnoitra, he realized that the bloodthirsty quinta was loyal to Aizen as well.

Yammy was a stupid brute who wasn't good for anything other than smashing stuff. Ichigo had approached him and hinted at rebelling against Aizen, but the decima had been too stupid to even understand him.

Szayel was still a toss up, but Ichigo was convinced he could bring the octavo espada over to his side. Aaroniero was an unlikely ally as well. Despite his words, he outright detested Aizen for his demotion to ninth, and was determined to get his original rank back.

Stark was unfortunately, or rather _fortunately _loyal to Aizen. That meant Ichigo would get his chance to kill him when he dragged Aizen down and took the throne.

And then there was the new guy.

Wonderweiss.

He was a very, very odd espada. Ichigo hadn't seen him speak more than three syllables, but it seemed that he was almost incapable of speech. Most of the time he followed Kaname around, and didn't like anyone who tried to get near the blind man. But he had the rank of seventh, and that meant he had at least some power.

But the prospect of him joining was unlikely.

Thus far, the takeover plan wasn't looking good.

He'd have to approach the Privaron espada for hope in acquiring. Furthermore, he _needed _to find the other original espada, assuming Aizen hadn't gone and killed them off.

"Did he say when?"

"Possibly a week from now." Stated Mila Rose.

Then this week promised to be eventful. He certainly wouldn't be able to strike at Aizen within a week. Time was needed and so were allies. But if worse came to worse, he was working on a little something special....

Zangetsu had told him about an espada's second stage.

Segunda Etapa.

His masked form wasn't even close to _half _the power he'd have in that form. If he could train his allies to actually aquire it...

The results would be catastrophic.

For Aizen.

"Ichigo, he wants you and Ulquiorra-sama to be the ones leading it." Apache said this gravely, but her eyes were dancing with manic glee. It was clear that she was looking forward to a potential battle.

"There's not much of a point in it." Sighed Ggio, blowing a strand of dark, void black hair away from her green eyes. "If I don't get to them first, Ichigo-sama will surely wipe them out."

"You all sound so cocky." Sighed Sun-Sun, an inscrutinable look upon her face as she brushed at it with one sleeve. "We don't even know if we'll actually be going with them."

"Well that's no fun." Pouted Luppi crossing her arms, as this was news to her as well. "What's the point in getting our hopes up if none of us actually get to go?"

"Hey...I think I have an idea...This came from Apache.

Everyone turned to look at her, as she was currently sitting behind Ichigo.

"You guys ever been to Japan?" The question was random, way out there.

As a result, it quelled the arguement that had begun to brew.

"Why? Is that were you lived?" Asked Kurosaki.

Apache nodded once.

"Yeah...but enough about that! Have any of you ever been to their hot springs?"

She was met with several odd stares.

"Erm...I'll take that as a no?"

"Hot springs? Apache, what're you getting at?"

The fraccion leaned back, with both arms behind her head. "Weeeeeelll...I was thinking, why don't we enjoy some time off before the war starts?"

"At the hot springs?" Asked Loly.

Menoly, however, turned a beet red color. "W-Wait a sec! W-We haven't even done anything yet!" She complained. "I-Is there really any reason to go to the hot springs before the week starts?!"

"Stop fighting." Grumbled Ichigo. "I didn't come up here to listen to your bickering." He seemed to stare out into space for a few moments, before finally speaking again. As long as it was before next week, he didn't really see any problem with it. "But I _do_ think it'd be a good chance to relax."

The only problem would be avoiding getting caught by Aizen

"Ichigo-sama's right." Purred Sun-Sun, nuzzling into his side, looping an arm in his own. "After all, we're all on the same team-

_'Except when it comes to Ichigo' _Was what they all thought to themselves.

"So, going the hot springs, hmm?"

Everyone jumped, as who would it be, then the schemer himself?

Everyone paled, thinking their plans had been found out.

Surprisingly, he _smiled._

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Apache-san. Good thinking."

She bowed hastily, before he could detect anything to be amiss."A-Arigatou, Aizen-sama!"

"Why don't we all go? I'm sure we could all use a rest before the operation begins."

"Eh?!" Everyone said this at once.

"Then it is decided. I will provide you all with gigai's of course, but I will need to talk to Kurosaki-san first."

As the fraccion began to talk amongst themselves, Aizen pulled the segunda espada aside.

"I warn you Ichigo, it would not be a wise move to betray me." His blood went cold. "If you did, you might be too busy to keep tabs on Yoshi. Now that we're on the subject, how _is _she doing in the material world? I trust Urahara is taking good care of her?"

How did he know?!

No trace of it was seen on his face, however. Instead, he feigned outright shock.

"Why would I want to betray you? Thus far, I'm quite content here."

"And Yoshi?"

"I lost interest in the bount."

Aizen arched an eyebrow.

This one had an intellect that rivaled his own.

This would be interesting.

"Very well then. I _apologize _for doubting you. Think of this trip as a reward for your _loyalty_."

And with that, he simply vanished from sight.

As if he had never been there at all.

The game of cat and mouse had begun.

But the question was...

Who was the predator, and who was the prey?

**Next time: Hot spring mayhem! The arrancar arc is about to begin!**


	12. Hot Springs: Prelude

**This chap is only a filler. Next chapter: Unexpected guests?! Why are they here?! This next one has all the good hot spring stuff, so please review this chapter so I can get positive feedback and inspiration for the next chapter!**

Surprisingly, almost all the espada were up for the hot springs soak. But at the complaint of Stark, they had decided to throw in a trip to the beach afterwards. Surprisingly, Ichigo backed the suggestion of his unwilling rival.

The only exceptions, those who would stay would be Aaroniero, Yammy, and a few fraccion, to safeguard las noches. The men themselves were lounging about, each with their own travel bags, whilst Aizen went about perfecting their gigai's.

Gin had been tasked with the unfortunate duty of gather all the food, and it was Kaname's job to ensure that everything ran smoothly. Granted, Aizen would be masking them with Suigetsu the entire time...

But they were going to Japan.

Anime expo's were often held there, and a few strange individuals should go relatively unnoticed.

The women...

Were out shopping for swimsuits of course.

And as a result, it was very, _very_boring in Las Noches.

Ichigo frowned, in a bad mood already, as he had been given the first gigai. It was a perfect image of his former human form, and he didn't like it one bit. He was wearing basic human clothes, as opposed to his hakama. Basic blue jeans and an orange t-shirt. Zangetsu had changed his shape to that of a long knife, for the purpose of coming along on the trip, and was strapped under his shoulder sleeve.

Each espada had also concealed their zanpaktou, in one way or another, and were fully prepared should someone recognize them. It had occured to Ichigo that he could use this chance to be rid of Aizen forever, but he still wasn't entirely sure if everyone would follow him.

No, there were still plans to be made, and pawns to be moved.

"Somethin' botherin ya?" Quipped a familair voice.

Ichigo scowl as he looked up.

"Leave me be Nnoitra."

The quinta espada was the second to obtain his gigai. Contrary to his former appearance, his black hair was once again messy and ragged. Another notable feature was that his gigai didn't have the eyepatch, meaning he had to use both eyes to see.

"Aw, don't be such a bum!"

"If you lay a hand on any of my fraccion, then I will rip out your spine."

"Party Pooper." Pouted the quinta espada, jamming both hands in his pockets.

"Are they back yet?" Asked Ulquiorra, emerging from the dark room.

It was strange to see his normally pallid skin actually have a tan to it now. The tear marks were gone now, but there was notching they could do about his eyes. The mask fragment was gone as well, hidden within the gigai.

However, he still wore the frown like it was a mask.

"No, they won't be back for anohter minute." Replied Stark, as he emerged, clad in a rather comical pair of Hawaiian shorts, and a white t-shirt. He had no significant changes to his gigai, with the exception being that his mask fragment was gone, as was his hollow hole.

"Oh, so the almighty Stark decides when we leave...Grumbled Ichigo.

Szayel chuckled lightly, as he leaned against a pillar. He wore a _pink _t-shirt of all things, and white jeans. He still wore glasses, but they were basic average human wear, not those of his mask fragment.

"Now now Ichigo-san, no need to rip anyone's _spine_ out."

"Heh, that'd be my job." Snorted Grimmjow as he came around the corner. The only thing that had changed physically was that his mask fragment on his jaw line was gone. Aside from that, he kept his usual appearance and gruffness, clad in an open white jacket and jeans.

Nnoitra's brow twitched.

"Why you...The hell is with the oufit?! We're supposed to keep a low profile!"

"My,my, aren't you as ill tempered as ever?" Remarked Halibel, as she appeared before them in a static flash of sonido. Nnoitra stiffened, and shot her a glare. "The hell does it matter to you, bitch?!"

"Well, boys will be boys." Shrugged Luppi. During the past week, she had grown her hair out, and it had now reached shoulder length. Behind her came Loly and the others, each with a bag slung over their arm.

"Alright, we're ready!"

"As are your gigai." Replied Aizen, emerging from the dark room with Gin and Kaname in tow.

Once they had slipped into the faux bodies, Aizen nodded once, then tapped a hand to the air.

A garganta opened for them.

"Now, let us be off."

--

Urahara had been pacing back and forth for quite some time now, and it was wearing on Yoruichi's last nerve. "Will you please stop pacing already Kisuke?!"

He stopped and sighed.

"Its either so simple I can't figure it out, or its too complex for me to comprehend." He murmurred under his breath, sitting down at the table across from her. "Why would Ichigo send us a bount and ask us to keep her safe?"

"It makes no sense, unless-

They both realized it at the exact same time, and their eyes tripled.

--

Urahara knocked on the door to Yoshi's room. "Ah, Yoshi-san, might I have a word with you?" He had almost immediately given her a place to stay here, once she had given him the list. A list of materials to produce another Hogyoku, which would be used as the primary deterrent to an arrancar, effectively stripping them of their powers.

Unfortunately, it had only a one time use.

But the list had come with a warning.

_If she is harmed, then I will hunt you down and kill you._

It had been so obvious that he had missed it.

"Come in." She said from the other side of the door.

Upon entering, he got right down to the point.

"Why did Ichigo send you here?"

"For safety." She murmured, looking away, suddenly stiff and alert. "I didn't really know him long, but he said I'd be safe here-

Urahara patted her on the shoulder, smiling warmly to reassure her. "Rest assured, this _is_ the safest place for you. However, I still have some questions for you."

"I guess an answer is the least I can do for you." She sighed, leaning back in the chair.

"Go ahead shinigami, fire away."

"How did you come to meet Ichigo?"

"He came to me. Literally. I was captured by him, and dragged to a castle. He was rather rough about it to."

_'As I feared, she was taken to Hueco Muendo.'_

"Did... Aizen do anything to you?"

She shook her head. "No, aside from feeding me a soul. But then he threatened to-

She bit her lip.

"He threatened to have me raped if Ichigo didn't comply with his demands.

Urahara gasped.

"Did he-

"No."

"Thanks be to kami. But that still doesn't explain why you're here."

"Ichigo... did it, then sent me here." Kisuke could only stare in muted horror. "He said he didn't want to, but the shinigami was going to give me to the rest of the arrancar if he refused."

She now blushed lightly.

"He was...very gentle about it."

"Then I need you to answer one last question."

Tears were welling up in her eyes by now.

She knew what he was going to ask her next.

"Yoshi-san, I know that you're a special case among the bount. Most of them are rendered infertile due to consuming human souls. Did you know this?"

A nod.

"But in your case, devouring a human soul does not merely prolong your life indefinitely, but renders you younger as well. In most cases, constant soul eating will cause the body to decay. But it simply gives you the appearance of someone in their early early twenties."

She didn't respond.

"Now, I need you to be honest with me. Your answer won't change anything, you will still be treated with the utmost of kindness by myself and my staff regardless."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Now, please answer me this...

She bit her lip.

"Are you pregnant?"

**Is she? You'll have to wait and see, but lemme know what ya think!**


	13. I Miss You

**Good kami, this was so touching to write! I _cried_ from the sheer amount of fluff and humor!**

The rip opened up in the air, and Aizen was the first to emerge. Everyone gasped, and pointed fingers, cries of surprise being heard from down below. With a silent rasp, his zanpaktou was drawn.

"Shatter: Kyoka Suigetsu."

Kaname now drew his zanpaktou, and shunpoed the the ground.

He activated his bankai, thus spreading the effect of Aizen's shikai around, via depriving them of their sense, briefly.

Everyone thought they saw a flash of black, then the bankai was resealed.

Therefore, no one saw the garganta snip itself shut.

All they saw was a hot air balloon, floating by in the sky.

Thanks to the deception, the group made their entrance quite smoothly. Each espada landed gracefully on the ground, and their fraccion landed soon afterward. Almost immediately, the sights and sounds of Japan assaulted them.

Apache inhaled deeply, and sighed nostalgically.

"Damn, its so _different_, yet entirely the same...

Gone was her hollow mask horn, and her short navy blue hair fell to obscure her redish orange eye. She had kept her usual outfit actually, but exchanged the shirt for a fur jacket, which she wore over a light green tee. A pair of form fitting black slacks completed her lounging outfit.

"It's beautiful, in its own way." Commented Sun-Sun. She, out of all the arrancar, remained unchanged. She even kept her mask fragment, which looked like more of a hair clip then anything. Her gigai form wore a white tank top with a green snake emblazoned on the front, and a pair of camo pants.

"I don't like it." Complained Mila-Rose. "The air here is too foul, and it _reeks_of cheap sushi." She wore something similar but had instead opted for a more open jacket version. It was cut out at the chest, more reminiscent to that of Rangiku's. Rather laughably, she wore simple grey sweats, but several male passerby still ogled her.

The group itself was large enough to draw a significant amount of attention. Stark, Lillenette, himself, his seven fraccion. That made ten. Halibel, Ulquiorra, Nnoitra and Tesla.

Now it was up to fourteen.

Grimmjow, Szayel, Aizen, Gin, and Kaname.

That left their group at a grand total of _nineteen_.

Thankfully, Szayel had left _his _fraccion behind, as had Grimmjow, or their group would attract unwanted attention. They did not know if any soul reapers were stationed in Japan, and if so, they didn't necessarily want to fight on their day off.

"How much time do we have?" Asked Ichigo over the din now pounding in his ears.

Sosuke checked his watch, and for a second he wasn't a ruthless visionary, just an average shinigami traitor trying to enjoy his day off. He had kept his hair in its usual style, but as opposed to his usual flowing robes, he wore a tan pair of khaki's and a brown shirt.

"Plenty!" He called back.

Gin, well he had surprised everyone. Instead of something light and airy, as would be expected of him, he had changed his ensemble entirely. He a ring in his right ear, wore black jeans, a simple long sleeved black shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows.

The irony of it all was the skull emblazoned on the back, with the word DEATH in big bold letters.

_"Kinda cuttin' it close, aren't you?"_

Kaname hadn't changed his look much, but had instead abandoned his visor, Suzumushi had taken the form of a cane, so as to further deceive humans of his blindness. He wore a black hoody with a cricket symbol onthe back, and baggy black jeans.

"I say we spread out."

They _were_ an odd group, and people were staring.

Nnoitra grinned at a nearby female, exposing an actually _normal_smile, thanks to his gigai. However, Tesla paled at the smile nonetheless. If Nnoitra-sama was grinning about something, then it was _not _pleasant.

"Well then lets kill some time!" He declared, heading her way. "C'mon Tesla!"

"That would not be wise." Replied Halibel, flicking her hair over her shoulders. Her mask fragment mostly consisted of her neck and chest before this, but they were clearly gone, as it was easy to see her neck in the thin yellow tank top she wore. The shirt itself was several sizes too small, and exposed both her curved hips and shapely legs, thanks to the thin white shorts she wore. "We don't want to attract any unwanted attention.

Surprisingly, she had refused to allow the skin of her gigai to be altered. Therefore, she still sported her infamous tan, and looked to be the most normal of the espada, aside from Ichigo.

But Nnoitra was already gone, and Tesla had gone after him.

She sighed.

"How annoying."

"He might have a point." Commented Szayel, gazing at what appeared to be a takoyaki stand. "I believe we should enjoy our time here, as much as we can."

"I'm all for it!" Chirped Lillenette, looping an arm in Stark's own, then dragging him towards the stand. "C'mon Stark!"

Her gigai had to be the most unique of the bunch. Contrary to her usual form, which resembled that of a young girl, her gigai was anything but little. She now looked like a grown up version of herself, minus the helmet. Surprisingly, she had chosen a white chemise dress to wear, and on her head, she wore a small white cap.

Halibel rolled her eyes, but the green orbs eventually came to rest upon a small shop down the street.

"Mila-Rose, Sun-Sun, could you come with me please?"

She exchanged a glance with Ichigo.

"That is, if Kurosaki-san doesn't mind?"

The segunda shrugged.

"Sure, go ahead and have some fun with them."

Sun-Sun uttered a small squeak of surprise, and the faintest tint of red lit Halibel's cheeks. Mila-rose was a deep vibrant pink by now. Apparently they had misunderstood his words, and clearly taken it in a perverted way.

"Then its settled." Stated Aizen. "We'll meet up at the hot springs by noon, one hour from now."

"I-Ichigo-sama, I'd like to go with Halibel-sama, if you don't mind?" Asked Ggio.

"You don't need to ask." He stated. "Have fun."

--

"Blech!" Hissed Grimmjow, crinkling his nose in distaste, then stuck out his tongue. "Smell's disgustin! There's no way in _hell_ I'm gonna eat that!"

"It is an odd dish...Replied Ulquiorra, as he stared at the meal.

"Here, lemme see!" This came from Apache, as she snatched the sushi away from the sexta espada, who shot her a withering glare, which she of course ignored. "Honestly, you men are so picky!"

Gingerly, she snapped apart the chopsticks, then took a bite.

"Mmm! This is good!" She declared.

"Then why does it smell like dog shit?" Retorted Grimmjow.

Apache proceeded to down the meal at a lightning fast pace.

"Ah, good stuff!" She exclaimed, letting out a hearty belch.

"I hope you intend to pay for that." Replied the owner of the stand.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, as he fished into his pocket for cash.

"There. This'll cover it."

Ulquiorra eyed what appeared to be a bowl of noodles being served in the next stand.

"Kurosaki, you were human once, correct?"

"Yeah, what about it?" He didn't necessarily like talking about his past, even though most of the arrancar had accepted him for it. Surprisingly, Ulquiorra was the only male espada he would actually converse with, though not on the matter of his imminent betrayal.

As such, he did not lost his temper when the cuarta espada asked him the next question.

"Then do you know what that is?" He asked, pointing toward the noodle stand.

"Oh that? Its called ramen."

Ulquiorra bought some and surprisingly took an instant liking to this.

"This is quite good." He said this with great conviction as he slowly slurped down the noodles. "I'll have to bring some back with me to Hueco Muendo."

Amazing.

So there was something in this world that Ulquiorra actually _liked._

"Hey, what's that?" Asked Loly, pointing towards a huge crowd.

Luppi rolled her violet eyes in exasperation.

"That is what the humans call an anime expo. They dress up like their favorite characters, and do something called cosplay. Ironically, I've heard that its quite popular." The arrancar seemed mildly interested on this.

"Um...can we go check it out?" Asked Menoly shyly.

--

"Whoa! Hey, look at this!" Crowed Grimmjow, holding up a manga book. Ichigo took it from him, frowned, then tossed it back into his face. The two characters of this scene were eerily alike him and Grimmjow, but the coloring was all wrong. "Bah, so there's a guy named _Hichigo_ getting his ass kicked by someone called _Grimmjaw_, who cares?!"

"Might I have a look?" Asked Ulquiorra, reaching out a hand. Menoly handed it over to him.

"There are two twins in this one, like Loly and me." But it was Loly who made a face. "Yech, these two are spiteful little bitches. Glad I'm not like that, huh?"

After awhile, Ulquiorra read it over intently. "This is quite odd. There are several comparisons made to...us. Hollows, soul reapers-

"And look, this one is similar to you, Kurosaki."

He now found an image, and held it out. It was a picture of Ichigo, but his entire body was white. His sclera were black, and the irises themselves were yellow. He appeared to be shouting something, and his blade a large butcher knife life blade-

Looked almost _exactly _like Ichigo's Zangetsu.

**They swapped the colors...**Grumbled the zanpaktou, referring to the black edge which should have been silver. **How disrespectful.**

"Has someone been writing a story about us?" Mumbled Ichigo, turning the book over.

"Bleach, huh? Weird name."

"No shit?" Commented Apache, reaching over to take the manga from him. She gasped, then held up the manga for everyone to see. It now had a description of a sword which read zanpakutou, underneath. "No friggin way! Its just a coincidence!" Insisted Ichigo.

"Okay, let me see." Inisted Luppi, reaching out a slender hand to take hold of the article-

Only to toss it right back.

"I don't like this manga!" She pouted. "My look alike gets _killed _by Grimmjow's look alike!" Grimmjow snatched it our of Ichigo's hands, then laughed harshly as he found said page.

"Haha! My character kicks ass!"

"Give me that!" Snapped Ichigo, aware that they were drawing a crowd. "We didn't come here to attract attention."

"A bit late for that." Stated Ulquiorra as he saw the people staring at them.

"OI! The hell're you staring at?!" Snarled Grimmjow. "I'll kill you!"

Everyone promptly turned the other way.

The sexta smirked.

"Piece a cake."

"I could go for some pizza...Murmured Menoly.

Loly voiced her opinion as well.

"Its decided then! Let's find some cake!"

The espada all sweat-dropped, as did Luppi.

One thought ran through their minds.

_'Where the hell're we gonna find pizza in japan__?'_

"I'll go look." Ventured Ichigo. "Maybe someone around here knows."

"Be careful, Kurosaki." Ulquiorra warned

Somehow, no one questioned why he did so.

"Relax, what could possibly happen?"

Rather, they knew he was going to investigate...

The reishi signature that had been following them for the past fifteen minutes.

--

He stopped in an alleyway.

"Alright, whaddya want?"

"Not bad, boy. You knew I was following you."

The segunda arrancar was rather surprised to see the one known as Kariya Jin emerge from the shadows. He didn't really know much about the leader of the Bount, but Yoshi's rudimentary description of her leader had been enough.

"I'll ask you again, what do you want?"

"Answer me this. I believe you have something of mine." A smirk traced his features now. "Or rather, _someone_."

"You do not own her." Mumbled Ichigo, reaching into his sleeve, pulling out the knife-

A blast of wind abruptly smacked him into the wall.

He vomitted blood from the hit.

"Teme! She doesn't belong to anyone! Certainly not you!"

Another gust, and he was smashed through the wall. He bounced once on the street, then lay on his back, gasping for breath.

In his normal body, that wouldn't have done the slightest of damage. However, in his gigai, the impact was nearly enough to kill. Nothing was broken but he was still hurting. Kariya sighed as he walked through the opening, heedless of those staring at him.

"She belongs to me until she is no longer useful. You can have her back then."

_"Shit! If I use my power, everyone will know we're here!"_

He gasped as Kariya hefted him up by the collar.

"I already told you, you don't own her!"

"Quite the contrary. She is my pawn, therefore I _own_ every aspect of her."

"You do not!" He roared, and used the slightest amount of his power to slug Kariya hard in the face. The punch was just enough to cause the Bount to loosen his grip, and upon doing so, Ichigo sprang back, skidding to a halt several feet away.

"Ichigo."

"Huh?"

Aizen sat at a nearby table, calmly sipping his tea.

"Kill him. quickly. I will handle the rest."

He drew his zanpaktou.

"Shattter."

A smirk traced the espada's face.

He caught the next blast of air in his hand, the tossed it into the air. Several people screamed as they were blown away in the fierce twister that erupted in the square.

"You really shouldn't have done that," Ichigo hissed, rising to his feet.

"And why not?"

A dull thud, and espada Ichigo stepped out of the gigai. He began to emanate reaitsu, as Kariya looked on in shocked surprise. _'What is he, a shinigami?'_

With a flick of his wrist, Ichigo drew the full size Zangetsu.

"Because! She's a person!"

A flicker of fear passed through Kariya's eyes, but by then it was too late.

"Tell me, Bount, do you want to see something scary? Do you want to see a sight that made your comrades scream before I devoured them?" A chilling laugh pierced the air. He held Zangetsu out, and placed his hand upon the polarized edge. "Well guess what? Today's your lucky day!"

The air trembled in fear, as a twisted black reishi began to leak from both arrancar and blade. Ichigo licked his lips, just a second before he spoke the words that would initiate his release.

_"Slay: Zangetsu!"_

_'Whatever he's up to-_

A cloud of blackish blue smoke enveloped him-

_-I'll stop him before he does it!'_

Charging into the smoke was a huge mistake. Something cold and sharp clamped onto his arm. A wet squelching sound was heard, then a terrible ripping sound...

Kariya staggered back in surprise, clutching the stump of his right arm, which had been severed at the elbow. He could only look on took in surprise as the transformed Ichigo emerged.

His white jaws were stained with blood. A crimson stain that was now licked away by a long, serpentine tongue.

**"It's a shame I can't play with my meal this time."**

"What is this?"

Ichigo bared his fangs and _roared_.

The sheer force of it was enough to shred a nearby building to cinders. As the rubble crumbled behind him, Ichigo clacked his newly made claws together.

**"DIE!"**

He sprang!

Kariya narrowly dodged the blur that was Ichigo.

_'Such terrifying speed-_

The hollow held up its fingers into a point. Red light began to draw into the trio of digits, forming a distinctive sphere. The ground trembled in anticipation of the attack...

And with an earthshaking shock-wave, it was fired!

Kariya leapt backwards to avoid it-

**"You're not going anywhere!"**

A hand on his shoulder stopped the bount cold.

Ichigo grinned and opened his mouth, forming another cero, even as the first sped towards them. The twin combination of cero scorched Kariya's skin, and sprayed smoke over the square.

When the clouds cleared Ichigo opened wide his maw as he gripped Kariya with the other hand.

**"Now, become a part of me...**

Serrated teeth dug deep into Kariya's shoulder, and dug deep into muscle, sinew and bone. Gouging the bount's back with his claws, Ichigo began to rip and pull with his teeth, in a saw like fashion.

Finally, he came away with a huge chunk of flesh. It was all the bount could do to not scream. He soon lost that capacity however, when a gore soaked hand exploded out of his chest.

The claws clacked together again, and suddenly grew into long serrated edges. Those claws now sank into Kariya's back, and began emitting dark red reiatsu.

**"Getsuga Tenshou."**

_--_

(Yoshi's P.O.V.)

Ichigo, are you doing well?

"Yoshi-chan, over here!"

I really hope so.

"Uh...

You were right, by the way.

"Erm...what is this?"

Everyone's been...So nice to me.

"Try it at your own risk." Warned Tatsuki, making a face.

Ever since I've come here, its felt like home. A home I never had, even when I was a child. No one discriminates against me here. Bount, hollow, shinigami, none of these terms matter to your friends. They still treat as if I'm one of them.

"Go on, try it! You need to keep up your strength!"

But Orihime has the _strangest _taste in food.

"Wha?! Did he tell you too?!"

"Hai!"

Oddly enough the strange concoctions she creates actually taste _pretty good._

"How are you feeling, Yoshi-san?"

I roll my eyes and elbow him in the gut. He takes the hit like a man, and doesn't whine like that brat Jinta. "Ugh, for the last time Yastura, I'm _pregnant_, not ill! There's a difference!"

You weren't kidding about Chad though.

He's a big softie.

"So, who's the pop?" Asked Jinta.

"Yeah, who _is _the dad?" Ururu is asking me this now.

"Hey hey! Give the girl some space!" Declared Yoruichi shooing everyone away, as the poor bount was now being crowded in by everyone at the shop. If not for her near constant intervention, the secret would be out by now.

I haven't told them you're the father, Ichigo.

"I am so honored to have a mother to-be in our shop!"

Tessai...he's such a goof, just like you said.

But really, can you blame me for keeping quiet? I still can't believe that I'm actually carrying _life_ inside me, let alone that I actually met someone like you.

Pregnant.

The word still sends a shiver up my spine.

I was able to tell almost immediately. After you sent me here, I just woke up one morning, and wham! I knew. It wasn't a hunch, but it was an absolute feeling.

I'm going to be a mother.

"Easy, easy Tessai-san, lets not upset our guest."

Aside from Tessai, only Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san know about that, the part about you being the father. It's terribly frightening yet so exhilerating at the same time. I'm so afraid, yet so _excited_.

If its a boy, then I hope he's grows up to be a good man, just like his dad. If its a girl, I hope she's stubborn and an idiot, just like the both of us. Gah, I'm probably getting ahead of myself here.

It's only been a week since that day.

"Ah, Suimasen Yoshi-san!"

We're taking a vacation today, to Japan. Actually, the _human _girls are the one's going on vacation, with a few shinigami and that Kuchiki Rukia girl of yours.

The _guys_ are being forced to stay here.

"Do you have everything? Rangiku-chan and the other's are waiting for us!" Yoruichi tapped her foot impatiently.

"Wah! I forgot to pack us lunch!"

Everyone except myself sweat-dropped.

"Um...that's alright Orihime!" Sputtered Tatsuki.

"We'll just buy something!" Added Senna hastily.

Rukia sighed in relief.

"That was a close one...

"Now remember, don't strain yourself, Yoshi-san." I cast Ashido an annoyed glare.

Lucky bastard, he can train all he wants with that red pineapple head of a shinigami. He doesn't have to worry about overexerting himself.

Unfortunately, Urahara is making _me _stay too, so I won't be able to join them in the hot springs. Ironically, Soul Society has promised me full protection from Aizen, but I need to stay in one place to be 'safe'.

I guess I'll have to settle for a hot bath...

I've gotten better with Nieder, and the lag time's improving. Staying in Hueco Muendo must've had some adverse effect on me, because now I only have to wait a _second_ before changing forms, as opposed to ten.

Things are starting to look up for me. Its been that way ever since I got here. I've taken your words to heart, and I've tried to mellow out on killing people.

I hope you don't mind if a few of your male friends have scars. Oh, don't worry, they're fine. Some of them, that Keigo guy especially, just didn't know how to take no for an answer, so I had to carve it into their hides.

You'd better stay alive, Ichigo.

If not for me, then at least for your kid.

We'll be right here, waiting for you, to come back.

Just don't die, Ichigo.

You _can't_ die, got that?

Because if you do...

I...won't know what to do.

It might be a bit soon to be saying this, but...

I'm glad we met.

You've given me a new life, one that I want to share with you. You've given me a new direction, an new path. I don't know where this new road will lead me...

But I look forward to walking it with you. As long as I'm with you, I can face this burden. I know it'll be hard, these next six months perhaps more so for you than for me, but I know you can do it.

And I know I can do it.

We can do it.

Together.

Ichigo, I hope you rip Aizen a new one.

Kick his ass for me, strawberry.

--

Kariya had been beaten rather effortlessly, and the group had now met up in the square as planned. They were still waiting for Nnoitra to show up however, and as a result, had yet to go the hot springs. Tesla had lost his master in the crowded streets, and had only recently found his way back here.

"Ten seconds. I'd have to say that was a new record." Stated Sun-Sun, as Ichigo shrugged back into his gigai.

"Did anyone see?" He asked. "I'd hate for this trip to be-Agh!"

"Ichigo!"

He clutched at his sides, as the pain erupted through his body.

Power, the likes of which he had never even known, coursed through his veins. When the agony subsided, a strange black tattoo was now emblazoned upon his chest, and that was where the power seemed to stem from.

He looked down at his hands and grinned.

"I'm fine."

_"Oh yes, I think I'm going to like this."_

Aizen glanced down at his watch.

"He's kept us waiting long enough. Stark, go get him."

With a nod, the Primera disappeared-

Then returned with Nnoitra, whom he had stuck in a headlock.

Nnoitra shook free of his iron grip and scowled. For some reason, he wasn't wearing a shirt. And he had a hicky on his neck. You didn't need much imagination to guess at what he had been doing. Aizen surprised them all by shooting Nnoitra a withering glare.

"Where were you?"

"I woulda shown up by myself,"He started-

"I didn't hear your answer, Nnoitra Jiruga." As he said this, his reaitsu all but flattened the quinta espada. Everyone but Ichigo winced in sympathy. Personally, Ichigo believed he deserved it. If he'd had his way, Nnoitra would be six feet under by now.

"Alright, _now_we head to the hot springs." Aizen's tone left no room for objection, and Nnoitra was left to pick himself up off his knees as the group finally headed to the sauna. Cursing under his breath, he chased after them...

And it was time for the hot springs!

**O_O Yoshi _is_ pregnant! But will she survive the six months? And is it a boy or a girl? Next up, chaotic hot springs!**


	14. Unwanted Attention

"Oi, Kurosaki."

"Hmm?" The segunda espada arched an eyebrow as Grimmjow spoke.

A smirk touched at the lips of the sexta espada.

"What the hell're ya doing on _this_ side?"

He was referring to the fact that the hotsprings allowed men and women to bathe together. However, the ladies weren't exactly fond of that rule. In fact, Halibel had threatened incineration to any peeking tom's, 'Aizen-sama' included. Everyone had automatically assumed that Ichigo would be with his fraccion, yet surprisingly, here he was.

"I wanted some peace and quiet." He replied, Stark nodding his own silent agreement.

At least they agreed on _something_.

"Heh, he probably can't handle all of em." Teased Nnoitra.

Ulquoirra made a very human like gesture at that moment, and rolled his eyes.

"All of you, be quiet."

--

(Hot springs/girl side)

"See? You've got _plenty_up top, Menoly!"

"Wah! L-Loly! S-Stop that!"

Ggio let out a small sigh, and sank deeper into the water.

"Everyone grows at their own rate.""Commented Mila-Rose, watching the sisters now proceed to dunk each other, or rather, Loly was dunking Menoly, until the latter got fed up with it, and began to dunk her sibling. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"W-Who said I was ashamed?!" Sputtered the fraccion.

The amazon patted the shorter girl on the head, laughing softly.

"Rest assured, no one thinks you are." This came from Lillenette, who had not yet deigned to get wet. Currently, the long and shapely legs of her gigai body were hanging over the edge, dipping into the water. "You're probably just a late bloomer."

"My my, Aren't we all grown up?" Teased Apache, and the fraccion stuck out her tongue. "Stop it you meanie! At least mine are bigger than yours!"

"That's only because you're in a gigai!"

"So?!" She snapped, squeezing the double D mounds for emphasis. "They're still bigger!"

"Why you-

Luppi smiled softly as she watched Loly's _hands on_method of teaching her meek sister to be more confident, whilst Apache and Lillenette began to argue over who had the bigger chest. Loly was an odd girl. At times she could be mean spirited, vain, proud, jealous and fickle even...

But underneath all that was a good person.

She might never admit it, but she just wanted everyone to be happy.

Apache and Lillenette were wrestling in the water now, and clearly having a tough time of it.

"Hmm. Maybe.... they deserve something better than this life."

"Eh?" Apache replied, fixing the woman with a quizzical stare.

"She means after the war." Finished Sun-Sun, her own towel wrapped tightly around her body. It was the same case for all the girls, the cloth barely fit their bodies, and only Ggio had to tie hers extra tight, due to a small lack of anything up-top. "And quite frankly, I think she has a good point."

Halibel remained silent, allowing her mind to wander as she enjoyed a long thorough soak in the hot springs.

After the war....

What then?

"I think that we should-

"Oh! Looks like we have some company!" Declared Loly, and everyone immediately hushed themselves. After all, it simply wouldn't do for them to be overhead, and certainly not by a bunch of humans.

A group of girls came in now, and all of them were at leas pretty well endowed, the arrancar took note of. Curiously enough, most of them had decent spiritual pressure, and one of them had enough reaitsu to be at a captain's level. They didn't recognize any of them-

Until their eyes fell on Yoruichi.

An alarm bell went off in their heads at that.

_'Shinigami.'_

Yoruichi was clearly the strongest, and Tatsuki was probably even with her, even under normal circumstances. Had Ichigo or another espada been here, things would have been in their favor. However, this was their one and only day off, and each arrancar wrestled with the desire to rip apart the shinigami, instead of enjoy their pre-war vacation.

Orihime flushed a deep cherry red as she noticed all the stares directed not only at her, but rather Yoruichi and Tatsuki, and then the entire group, which consisted of practically all of the well endowed young women, itself. There were quite a lot of them already, and though there was plenty of room in the sauna, she still could not help the feeling of embarrassment that washed over her.

"A-Ano, is it alright if we join you?"

Tatsuki frowned.

"Of course its okay! We paid an entry fee, so we're enjoying ourselves!"

Apache shrugged, her tone curt and clipped, controlling herself as best she could.

"Depends." She turned to look to her right. "Hali, you think there's enough room?" It was difficult to remove the 'sama' attachment, and use a nickname for she was used to addressing her superior as such, though oddly enough, she did not use the same formality with her master, nor did it bother her.

"I believe so." Halibel's tone wasn't frosty or unwelcoming, just its usual bland tone. The corners of her eyes had tightened slightly, the only visible indictation that she was tense.

Loly and Menoly were also visibly on edge, seeming to bristle at the sight of the extra guests. Sun-Sun and Mila-Rose had remained silent thus far, as had Lillenette, but it was clear to see that they weren't exactly _pleased_ by the sudden intrusion either.

"C'mon in!" Luppi surprised everyone by being positive in this situation, and in doing so, drawing a stern glare from everyone else. "There's plenty of room for all of you!"

As they all settled in, the buzz of conversation soon began...

--

Ichigo stiffened suddenly.

"Company."

Aizen sighed and pulled his sword out again, as it had been kept at the bank of the sauna. "Honestly, this is quite a bother.... He now cast another illusion atop the one he already had donned. Everyone watched as Ichigo's eyes became blue, his hair a dark black with a more unruly look. His body seemed to bulk up slightly, as if he gained more muscle.

When he spoke, his voice had dropped another octave, sounding nearly as deep as Chad's.

He now looked and sounded nothing like his normal self.

"Much better." He smirked, rising out of the water....

--

"Ah, this is nice." Sighed Rangiku, sinking back further into the hot springs, a contented look on her face.

Until someone dunked her underwater.

"L-Loly!" Sputtered Menoly in surprise.

Matsumoto had a glint in her eyes as she popped back out of the water.

"You're gonna get it now gaki....

--

The men could hear a _major_ commotion on the other side of the wall. The sounds of screams and giggles, along with splashing water filled the air, occasionally punctuated by cries of: "You'll pay for that!, and Come back here!" Indeed chaos ran rampant from the girl's bath.

Grimmjow was the first to speak, a rueful smile set on his face.

"Jeez, I almost feel sorry for Kurosaki."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

--

And Ichigo felt sorry for _himself_ when he opened the door.

"Yo-

"AH! ECCHI!"

He dodged a bucket thrown at him by several of the girls, then another and another, until they had finally exhausted their supply of ammo. When he was sure that no more missiles of death would be launched, he finally spoke-

"UWAH!"

Only to be drenched by a tidal wave of hot water.

"HEY!" He snarled, spitting out fresh water unawares that half of his former allies were here. An angry scowl now set itself into his face, and his eyes sparked dangerously. "Is that any way to treat your-

Halibel made a cut throat motion with her hand, then jerked her head slightly to the left.

Then he noticed everyone.

The group consisted of Rukia, Orihime, Matsumoto, Tatsuki and Yoruichi.

_"Eh?! What're they doing here?!'_

Another figure emerged behind him, and in his fury, Ichigo nearly punched the fellow through a wall.

"Ahem." The man coughed into his fist, hastily giving a bow, restraining a nosebleed at the sight of so many hot women in one place at one time. "I regret to inform you of this, but due to a mishap, we have to close early."

When everyone just stared at him, he went on to say-

"A hurricane is on its way. All of you have to leave now."

Everyone groaned, and Ichigo slapped a hand over his face to shield his eyes as they got out of the sauna. First, Rukia and the others walked past him, and try as he might, he was unable to restrain a snide comment.

"Midget." He snickered as Rukia walked past him.

Unfortunately she heard him.

"Excuse me?"

_'Who is he...I think I know him..._

"N-Nothing." He stammered, refusing to look at her, even though he was perfectly disguised. Before Rukia could voice her concerns, the man ushered her out as well, hastily apologizing, and when they had gone... summarily slammed the doors behind them.

His form shimmered, becoming more familiar.

"I believe that solves our problem, doesn't it?" Declared Aizen as his face became recognizable.

Ichigo scratched the back of his head, unsure if this was another trap Aizen was trying to lure him into. Sosuke never did anything unless it was to his benefit, and that meant that this event had to have some significance as well...

Right?

"Ne, Ichigo-sama!"

Ichigo turned to see Loly waving him over to the bath.

"Come on in!"

"Eh?"

"Well, since your on this side, w-we'd appreciate your company...Stammered Ggio with a light blush.

"Eh?!"

**Dont worry, we havent seen the last of Yoruichi and the others...And next chapter is when the real fun starts.**


	15. Humanity

Ichigo silently sank down into the hot springs, trying his best to ignore all the beautiful women around him, but failing horribly as Sun-Sun smiled at him. His illusion had already been dispelled, Rukia and the others weren't coming back... so he felt like he should relax now...

He silently noted that Halibel still had her face covered, even in her gigai. Come to think of it, he'd never actually seen what her real face looked like, and she'd never shown him her resurreccion either...

Curiosity burning within, he cleared his throat to speak.

"Hey, Hal?"

Across the room the blond blinked, surprised at the informal term he had just used.

He'd only called her 'Hal' once, and that'd been a long time ago, back when they were both adjcuhas After he devoured Barragan, he'd nearly died from blood loss, his wounds sustained in the battle had been so great, that if he hadn't evolved, he'd certainly have died.

She now recalled a faint glimmer of memory.

--

"Ichigo...

He swayed back and forth, as if he were drunk.

"Hal...I don't feel so good...

Black blood stained the sands as he vomited violently, retching again and again.

"Kuso...it hurts....

She silently looked on as a dim red glow surrounded him.

He seemed to noticed it was well, looking down at is claws.

A wicked smile twisted his face.

"Alright." He whispered.

Then he was consumed in the glow.

--

"Why're you still wearing that?"

"This?" She touched at the towel that covered her face.

"Yeah. I mean there's no need to wear it if its your gigai-

"What I wear is _none_of your business Kurosaki." It came out a bit harsher than she meant it to, the words biting and stinging, dripping with sadistic venom. And she regretted them.

Immediately, the soft look on his face vanished.

Watter dripped on the floor as he rose from the sauna, heading for the door.

"Fine then."

"Where are you going?" Halibel found herself asking.

"I guess it's none of your business." He snapped back, eyes narrowing to slits.

--

Relax.

He needed to relax.

Adrenaline pumped through his body, causing the crest upon his chest to glow a dull red. This caused him some measure of pain, but it subsided with time, just like everything else.

Time.

He had plenty of time, so he needed to loosen up a bit.

_'But why can't I?'_

--

Yoshi hummed softly to herself as she flipped to another channel on the television. Silently, she marveled at how tame her lifestyle had become, and how ironic it was. About a week ago, raising a family was the furthest thing from her mind.

Heck, she thought Yoshino was the only one who could produce life.

What a surprise.

She'd followed Kariya for power, and for the chance to seek battle.

Humans and shinigami were something to be hated and feared, just like hollows. This she had learned as she grew up, yet stopped ageing. They called her a witch, a sorceress. They'd chased her out of village after village, trying to 'purge' the demon within her.

She'd eaten dead souls, never living, yet when Kariya had forced her to partake of the concentrated souls made by the bitto, she'd loved every single drop of that sweet sweet nectar.

She'd been content with that outlook on life.

And then he'd come along and shattered it.

Ichigo.

She couldn't tell what on earth he was. He looked like a human, but had the reaitsu of a shinigami and a hollow. His emotions were clearly human, for if he'd been a hollow, he'd have just ravaged her and left her to fend for herself.

Instead, he'd sent her to the real world, gave her a place to live, and guaranteed her safety. What happened in six months would be anyone's guess, but the prospect of starting a family was so terribly exciting, and _so_ damn terrifying.

She remembered his touch of that night, gentle, so gentle

No, he had to fall in either the human or shinigami category.

No mere hollow could make her feel like this...

--

"Eh? 500 yen? For the boxed set?"

"Yeah, sorry about that mister!" The salesgirl scratched the back of her head sheepishly, laughing as she did so, then straightening out the apron she wore on her costume. "It's the last one so-

Her eyes went wide as he handed her a stack of money.

"I'll take it. Got anything else?"

"A-Arigatou!" She sputtered, bagging the set of DVD's unable to believe that anyone could actually have so much money on them and still be in one piece. "We have some old horror movies, if you're interested...

Looking them over, he bought one's he vaguely recognized, then arched an eyebrow at the girl. He'd finally noticed just what she was wearing, and...it was kinda weird.

"And what're you supposed to be?"

"Eh?" She blinked her ruby red eyes in mild confusion, then frowned when the contacts itched and stung again. "Who...am I supposed to be?" Her hair was gelled up in a rather odd style, that Ichigo found amusing.

"This is one of those anime expo's right?" He replied, still eyeing her over, noting that she wore what looked like a headband with a music note symbol on it. "I was just curious about that costume, or is that what you usually wear?"

"Well, I'm dressed as Naruto's rival, Sasuke Uchiha! Pretty cool, huh?" **(Shipudden outfit)**

"Sasuke? Who the heck is that?"

"O-Oh!" She blushed lightly. "Guess you're kinda confused. See, I didn't _want_to dress up as him, cuz he's supposed to be a guy but- Well, you know about Naruto, right?"

"Naruto? Nope, never heard of it." Ichigo replied with a deadpanned expression, clearly not understanding her in the slightest. "Isn't that some kind of food-

He wasn't able to continue as she hit him over the head.

What surprised him, was the fact that it actually _hurt_.

"Ow! What the hey?! What was that for?!"

"How can you not know about Naruto?!" She chastised him fiercely, and he realized that she had hit him with the flat of a sword. "It's only _the_ most popular anime next to Bleach!" Thankfully, it appeared to be blunt and rusted, so she couldn't really do any damage. Even so, he didn't want to be hit by it again. "Have you been living under a rock this entire time, _Hichigo Shirosaki_?!"

"Hey hey! Don't compare me with that cheap imitation!" He did not like being referred to as some look alike, and he liked it even less when girl's hit him over the head!

"Well _excuse me!_" She snapped in reply leaning forward to glare, eyes ablaze with zealous fury! "You look like him and I don't know your name so there you go!"

"Its Kurosaki Ichigo! Not Shirosaki Hichigo!" He snarled, slapping both hands down on the countertop, leaning forward as well!

"Fine then Kurosaki! My name's Haruhi Somna!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

"GOOD!"

They growled at each other like this for a moment, intent on having a grudge match...

Then realized the absurdity of the situation and began to laugh. It started slowly at first, Ichigo snickering, Haruhi giggling, but by then, it had turned into full blown laughter, which they had no chance of stopping.

"Sorry!" She gasped between giggles!

"Me...too!" He half spoke half laughed back.

His phone began to beep just then, killing the mood.

"Agh, time to go."

"You're not from here?"

"Nope."

Her face fell slightly.

_"Damn, figures all the customers are from America..._

He took his things and made as if to leave.

"W-Wait a sec!"

"Eh?" He looked behind him, narrowly catching a slip of paper that darted towards him like a senbon. Haruhi blushed lightly as he unfolded it, then looked down at her feet when he tried to meet her gaze.

"In case you wanna talk."

"Sure, I guess."

"That's a nice costume by the way!" She called to his back.

"It's not a costume!" He called over his shoulder.

--

(That Night)

Ichigo paled.

"Damn."

Grimmjow swallowed nervously and Nnoitra fidgeted.

"Shit."

Even Ulquiorra had a look of extreme discomfort on his face, wincing at another explosion of gore. They'd picked up one of these 'Bleach' videos out of pure curiosity, but had decided to watch something scary instead...

And they were beginning to regret their choice.

"This 'horror' movie should be rated X, not R."

Szayel averted his eyes and pressed the pause button as a blood chilling scream came from the speakers. "I never thought humans could ever produce something so terrifying. They...have my respect."

Ggio blinked. "Oh, you're watching a scary movie….Can we watch too?"

The men fell into a huddle. "If we let the girls in, they'll know we're scared." "Are you crazy? Girls plus scary movies, instant cuddling." "Pervert. I say no way. They'll want to sleep in here, they'll be so scared." "I second my previous statement." "I second Ulquiorra; you _are_ a pervert." "If they're in here, they can't surprise us." "And scare the shit out of us?" "Exactly." "Good point." "So they're in?" "Sure."

They all stood up and regarded the perplexed Ggio. Ichigo shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, you guys can come in. Just don't come crying to us because you're scared." She nodded and left the room. The boys took their seats again, braver and Szayel rewound back to the point they left out at. In a few moments, the girls were in the room armed with pillows and blankets.

Luppi plopped down in-between Grimmjow and Nnoitra, holding her pillow. Sun-Sun sat by Stark, mostly to revive him from his stupor. Loly and Menoly snuggled up as close as they could to Ichigo, though the latter seemed somewhat annoyed at this, and switched spots with Ulquiorra instead. And finally, Sun-Sun Mila-Rose, and Apache, fell in between Halibel and Ulquiorra.

The movie resumed.

As the movie progressed, blood was splattering, people were screaming, and cursed undead zombies were systematically hunting down every living thing in the village. When the movie ended, no one was breathing.

Sun-Sun had buried her face behind

"… … … Wanna watch the next one," Nnoitra ventured with his voice shaking. Not wanting to be the coward everyone put on a smile and nodded. It was already nearly midnight.

--

Ichigo grunted in annoyance as the piled out of the bus. "I hate going to trips like this."

"Then why did you come?" Ulquiorra asked. "Was it because of Halibel?

Ichigo's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"

"Nothing." Ulquiorra mumbled trying to hide his smirk in annoying Ichigo.

Before Ichigo could say his comeback…

"Ichigo-sama! Ichigo-sama!" Ggio shouted, running up to him.

"Hmm? What's up gaki?" he said with a small smirk.

"What's that? Ne, Ichigo-sama?" she asked pointing at a girl who was eating an ice cream.

"That's an ice cream." Ichigo replied.

"Can I have one?" she asked like a little girl.

"Hell no." Grimmjow said flatly before Ichigo could speak. "We didn't come here to spend money."

"Why can't I?!" Ggio yelled at him, surprising everyone. "I didn't ask you!"

Grimmjow grabbed her by the scruff of her neck.

"Watch it you little-

Suddenly she grabbed his neck and started to choke him.

"Let go of me, you little she-devil!!" Grimmjow snarled trying to stop her from killing him, as the two now began to roll around on the sand, each trying to gain the advantage of each other.

"No. Not until you bought that… that…um… ice cream! Yeah!" Ggio said and gripping his neck harder.

At last, Grimmjow surrendered. "Ok! OK! Just let go of me!" he pleaded.

"Sure." She said letting go of him, then turning to beam up at her master, with puppy dog eyes.

"Ah, fine." He sighed.

Ggio giggled, then grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him in the direction of the Ice Cream stand. "Come on we must hurry, Ichigo-sama! I heard that thing melts!"

"Aren't they sweet?" Halibel asked Ulquiorra at his side.

"Yeah, they are. Whatever, the plan goes well anyway."

"Plan?" she asked, arching a blond eyebrow.

"Why we are all here is because Aizen-sama decided to relieve the romantic tension of all the couple potentials here. Like those two." He pointed at Ichigo and Ggio. "And them." He pointed to his fraccion who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves.

"What do you mean by that, Ulquiorra?" someone asked behind them.

It was Grimmjow.

"Umm…"

"Does that involve Kurosaki?" he asked.

"Well yes." Ulquiorra answered.

"Well count me in you little plan." Grimmjow said at Ulquiorra.

"You?"

"Yeah."

"Well, sure." Halibel relented.

--

"Hey guys! Over here!" Luppi shouted at them, with Szayel looking at a map and Stark looking unaffected on what was happening around him, even as Lillenette asked him what he wanted to do next.

All of them followed Luppi towards a certain house.

I mean more like a mansion.

"So I guess this is the house." Ichigo said, sighing in relief of finally finding their sort of rest house, then he saw how large it was. "Wow this is really big for all of us! Aizen! Hey! Where in the hell is he?!"

"He's here!" Gin said. Everyone looked around and saw Aizen approaching them.

"So is this the house?" he asked him.

"Yes. Aren't you going in?" Aizen asked. "Here."

He handed Gin the house key.

And he left.

"I think this is gonna be interesting." Nnoitra predicted while looking at the house.

"So now you are a psychic." Ulquiorra said, rolling his eyes. " I guess there really is."

"I wanna check out some chicks." He said and left.

Stark sighed and was about to grab him when suddenly Lillenette jumped on his back.

"STARK Come on! Stop staring like that! Let's go swimming!" she shouted.

"Ugh...

--

_Inside the house…_

Kaname was there and handing out keys to the people.

They are assigned to their roommates.

"Nnoitra and Tesla." he said handing them a key.

"Thank you, Kaname-sama." Tesla bowed.

"So that's it." Aizen said, appearing out of nowhere, something that still creeped everyone out. "The rooms can only hold two people, understand." he gazed at the group.

"Hai!!!" they all said.

"Now go and enjoy your time here." He said finally, chuckling to himself. "Now I sound like a tour guide. I hate this." He whispered. Suddenly he noticed something.

"A key?" he asked as he looked at it. "Did I forget someone?"

"Kurosaki and that fraccion of his, remember?" Stark said calmly at his back.

Aizen looked at him and said, "Are you up to something good, Stark? Or bad?"

"Maybe." The primera replied. "Just give them that-"

All of a sudden, somebody recklessly blasted the door like hell. It was Grimmjow. Not just Grimmjow. Grimmjow and Ggio. Grimmjow and Ggio slung on his shoulder.

"Uwah! Grimmjow-sama, you can put me down now!" She whine, struggling off his hold.

"Not until you calm down, midget!" The espada shouted back.

"Calm down?! Oh! I am calm! See?!" She snapped angrily. Then she saw Ichigo. "Ichigo-sama! Help! Please!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Grimmjow. Let go of my fraccion." He ordered.

"Oh yeah sure." Grimmjow replied, carelessly letting Ggio off his shoulder and landing on her bottom.

"Way to go, you idiot!" Ggio said and yanked his hair.

"Ow!" Grimmjow moaned in pain. "Stop that!"

"Will you both shut up!" Ichigo shouted. "Here take it or I swear I'm going to strangle both of you!!"

Kaname handed them the key.

They went quiet.

"What's this?" Ichigo asked as he took the key.

"Key to your room." he said. "Your and Ggio's room."

"Oh okay." Ggio said calmly, then realized what had just been said. "Wait! I'm sharing a room with Ichigo-sama?!" This came out as a squeak, whilst she turned beet red-

And then promptly fainted a moment later.

"EH?!" Squawked the espada! "Who's idea was this?!"

When he was leaving, Stark passed Ichigo and whispered, "You are so lucky, Kurosaki. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be where you are now. You'll thank me later." And he left.

"_Thank him? For what?"_Ichigo thought.

Little did he know that he was falling in Aizen's plans....

**Haruhi hmm? Meh, we'll see her later, as she'll play an important part in Ichigo's social life, by teaching him to be normal. But Next up! Volleyball! Espada style!**


	16. A Softer Side

His mouth opened in a silent 0, as his wife handed him a small bundle.

The face of a baby girl stared up at him.

Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of green, just like Yoshi's. She stared up at him inquisitively, yet seemed to recognize him for who he was, for after blinking once....

She giggled.

"Da-da."

Nevermind the fact that a newborn shouldn't be able to speak.

The words "Da-da" rang in his head.

His legs nearly gave out in that instant.

With a trembling hand, he steadied himself against the wall.

Yoshi's voice echoed in his head...

"Congrats honey. You're a dad."

--

"GAH!"

He sprang up with a pained cry!

The sight of the ceiling greeted him, and he remembered where he was.

His eye twitched in slight annoyance as he sat, his eyebrows knitting themselves together in irritation from the dream he'd just had. "Kuso...That's the third time this week." Yawning, he blinked the sleep away from his eyes, but groaned in dismay when he saw that it was only two in the morning.

Ggio lay beside him, sleeping peacefully, the sheets clutched tightly between her fingers.

Or rather, she lay peacefully on the bed.

For some reason, Ichigo just didn't feel comfortable sleeping with someone who looked like they were still a kid. Granted, arrancar's didn't really have an age, but nonetheless, appearance could be deceiving.

Which was why he was using a sleeping bag on the floor.

Briefly, he considered going back to bed, but decided against it.

Rising, he loomed over Ggio, took a moment to sigh, then pulled the sheets over her, just in case Nnoitra or someone tried something perverted, even though they had separate rooms. This being done, he padded across the floor, making his way to the balcony, which had been locked. With all the grace of a well trained burglar, he nudged the latch open, and stepped out into the night air.

Leaving his tension behind him in the room or so he thought, he leaned down over the railing, allowing his body to relax for the first time since they'd gotten here. There was no one pining for his attention now, no fights to break up, no Stark to bicker with, no plans for world domination to be made.

And no Yoshi to worry about.

So why...

Why was he worried sick?!

"DAMNIT!" He howled, screaming his fury at the moon! "Damn it all to hell!"

As suddenly as it had come, the rage faded.

Right now, it was just Ichigo Kurosaki, a normal average, everyday human....and a fella that might end up being a dad before he turned friggin' twenty! He looked down at the hand of his gigai, then chuckled bitterly. Normal, what a load that was.

**"You seem troubled, Ichigo."**

He didn't even have to look, he already knew Zangetsu was on the opposite of the rail, where the two opposing balconies touched. Nor did he even bother to get annoyed, when the soul cutter spirit jumped the distance between them, and landed beside the arrancar with a flourish of his cloak.

"Can't sleep." He mumbled, eyeing the moon briefly.

**"You had that dream again."**

"Yeah." He leaned back, eyeing the stars, wondering if he could count them until he fell asleep.

**"That is why I am here."**

Realizing he wouldn't be getting any peace until he spoke to the zanpaktou directly, Ichigo turned to face the persistent man. Now, his trademark scowl was fixed in place. "Well isn't that great!" He laughed, tone dripping with sarcasm! "And here I thought you were making a house call-

Zangetsu's sunglasses glinted mysteriously, his cloak swirling, despite the fact that there was no breeze. He took a few steps forward, closing the gap between them slowly and deliberately.

**"You might say that."**

Ichigo suddenly felt ill at ease, but by then, Zangetsu had already grabbed him by the collar.

**"Come, Ichigo. I will show you the reason for your anxiety."**

**--**

The colors of the world faded to blue, and they were now in a land of tall, skyscraper buildings, set against a partly cloudy sky. However, something had to be wrong here. One half of the sky was a pure blue, easily contrasted by the clouds, and though the air felt thin, it was still breathable.

Rain fell from these clouds in places, almost as if the sky itself were crying.

The other half...

Was unnatural.

It wasn't like someone had draw a line straight down the middle, it was simply a different half of something else. There was ground in the air where there should not be, and the image that could be seen, was dark and fuzzy.

Idly, Ichigo wished he could see it.

And then he wished he hadn't.

It was pitch black now, and there was no color to be seen, but the greys and white In place of the skyscrapers, was a wasteland, dotted with burning homes, and corpses laid upon the road. It rained on this side as well, but this rain, a blackish blood red rain poured down from grey clouds that blotted out the sky, plinking off the many swords of varying shapes and sizes that were stabbed into the ground here and there. As his gaze followed them he realized they actually formed makeshift _trail_, eventually leading to up a tall spire in the far distance. A dark, sinister energy came from over there, for a column of black flame could be seen reaching into the heavens, despite the gory downpour.

Zangetsu set him down now, and Ichigo quickly found that he was back in his arrancar form, as opposed to his gigai. After taking a moment to make sure everything was in order, and his sword was there, he turned to fix Zangetsu with a heated glare, blade drawn!

"What...is this place? What'd you do to me?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

Zangetsu surprised him by taking the blade's tip and pushing it down with but a finger, as if it were a feather. **"Do you honestly believe you can cut me with my own power?"**In Ichigo's grip, the zanpaktou suddenly felt ten times heavier, and with a surprised cry, he was dragged downward into the nearest building, smashing clear through it before stopping.

Zangetsu descended after him, dispassionate as ever. With a snap of his finger zangetsu in Ichigo's hand returned to its usual listless weight, causing its wielder to start in surprise.

"How did you-

**"Sheathe your sword." **Zangetsu interrupted waving a hand dismissively at the carrot-top.** "I have merely brought you here to talk."**

"Then start talking!" Grumbled Ichigo.

The faintest smirk traced the spirit's lips, for now the boy had sheathed the sword upon his back.

**"This, Ichigo," **He threw an arm out in a wide sweeping gesture to indicate the twisted land before them.**"This is your mindscape. Doesn't it look familair?" **Ichigo vaguely recalled his inability to find his soul reaper powers in time to stop the transformation, but aside from running into Halibel as an adjuchas, the rest was a big blur before that time."**It originally fell apart when you became a hollow," **Zangetsu continued,** "Lost to you forever, as was I."**

He began walking across the air, and Ichigo found himself following after.**"However once you regained human form, through shinigamification," **Zangetsu continued,**"I was reborn, as was your mindscape."**

As they crossed the expanse barring the two worlds, Ichigo could not help but to notice several cracks in the sky. At first, they were just hairline fractures, but as they approached the blackness, those thin lines began spiderweb cracks, then full blown breaks which leaked dark energy.

Zangetsu explained them.

**"But as you can see, there are many fractures in your mindscape."**

"How's that?" Grumbled the strawberry as they approached the dark. "I wasn't able to look around before, but I'm pretty sure I woulda noticed all these cracks if they were here."

**"The mindscape is one's own inner sanctum." **Zangetsu replied, halting before just before the dividing edge of the two sides. **"Naturally, your own feelings and emotions will affect the landscape, the weather, and the very shape of your own soul."**

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.** "But this is not the case. Because your soul is in conflict, your emotions are mixed, and there is conflict. One side of your yearns to accept yourself for what you are-**

He indicated the hellish land that awaited them.

**"And the other, conflicts with that desire." **Now he pointed to the peaceful land of skyscrapers which they had left behind, that place which seemed so inviting, compared to this nightmare that beckoned for him.** "It is the side of you that wishes to return to the life you once had, but weeps because this is not possible."**

The clouds continued to gather, spreading out, then slowing.

**"Soon, it will rain in both worlds, and you will be swallowed up in despair."**

Ichigo was getting tired of this.

"Alright alright, so what's your point?"

**"My _point_, is that this hesitation not only ****prevents you from using my true power, it is also born from all your negative emotions. So long as this other world exists, you will never be able to utilize the ultimate release, nor will you become any stronger than you are now, even with your crest."**

"Whaddya talking about?! I'm plenty strong! AND I can already release!"

**"Yes, resurreccion is well within your grasp, but you cannot yet use bankai."**

"Ban-what?"

**"My true release. The second stage that only captains can use, and something I have yet to teach you."**

"Ya lost me."

**"Try calling my true name, Ichigo. Zangetsu is but the name of mine shikai form."**

When Ichigo opened his mouth to speak-

**"I will not tell you it. You must say it from the depths of your soul, for it to have any meaning to me."**

But try as he might, Ichigo could not. Every time he tried to remember, he drew a blank, the words slipping right through his fingers, just as they curled around the truth.

Leaving him with nothingness.

"So lemme get this straight. How much stronger will bankai make me?"

If it was something like double his usual power, than he wasn't particularly interested.

**"My bankai will easily make you ten times stronger."**

"So.... if I get rid of this world, you'll teach me this release or whatever?!" He snapped, frustrated, tired, and just all around annoyed altogether.

**"Questions will get you nowhere. You must find the answer...for yourself."**He stuck his hand through the blackness, and Ichigo looked on as the black sleeve, hand and all, became a pallid white. He reached into the air again, and for a moment looked as if he would thrust the arrancar in through the hole he had created. But after a moment of tense anticipation, he did not, instead pulling his hand back. **"No. Come back here with someone you trust, and _then_ I will let you enter."**

"Hey!"

**"That is my condition." **

Just as suddenly as the world had come, it was gone, and now a long drop to the sand awaited him. The strawberry paled at the sight of this, his eyes going wide with shock and surprise.

Zangetsu wore a small smirk.

**"I trust you can't fly while in your gigai form, correct?"**

"H-Hey! W-Wait a sec, what the hell're you-

Without a word, he flicked Ichigo in the forehead.

And down he fell...

--

The gentle sound of waves, lapping at the shoreline, soothed his ragged nerves, splashed at his face, awakening him. He blinked, spit out sea water, and tried to rise.

He'd made it half a foot away, and gotten behind the cover of a nearby palm tree, before it happened.

The first clue was the sudden red glow coming from his chest. He drew a long sigh as he closed his eyes, and just stood there, bracing himself for the twinge of pain. He'd used wind to slow himself down before he hit, and thanks to his hierro, he wasn't even scratched.

And it came.

"The...heck...

He gasped, then fell to his knees, clutching at his chest!

It hurt too much to breathe, so just rest, a voice told himself, but he shook it off, too focused on not screaming. The gigai skin he wore suddenly felt to thin, too tight and constricting, and he ached to get out of it.

A flash of pain hit again, and he suddenly realized doing so, passing out, might not be such a bad idea. His eyes began to drift down, as he tried to force the pain away.

But just before they slid shut, he heard _something_.

On high alert at once, he blinked, ignoring the raw fire coursing through his veins like a crimson flame. The crest's glow faded as he ignored the pain, and dismissed it as nothing more than a nuisance. When he was sure he could stand, he nimbly climbed up the tree, scaling it like a monkey.

With his new vantage point, he saw a figure down on the beach.

The shock of blond hair made her easily recognizable right away. She was wearing long white jeans, for it was quite chilly out, a white tee-shirt, which was way too small for her, easily exposing her midriff. And of course, she wore a white jacket, with a high collar. She seemed to be walking towards the water, with a calm, purposeful stride, as if she were on a mission, and strapped to her back was her zanpaktou, which Ichigo did not know the name of.

_'Halibel? Why does she have her-_

A spike of reiatsu washed all that away, for he saw her gigai drop down onto the sands. Now in her espada form, Halibel kept walking, hitting the water some time afterwards. Slowly, she waded through, until she was up to her waist.

Ichigo watched as she unzipped her jacket, leaving her topless. She reached back into her sheathe, and withdrew her zanpaktou, which for some strange reason, seemed to be hollowed out.

She held it down, towards the water, and he realized what she was about to do.

She was about to release!

"Attack: Tiburon." She whispered, and in that moment, her gaze turned-

Catching Ichigo like a deer in the headlights.

He winced as he saw the reason why she had her face always covered. Her mask covered her entire face, and extended down to cover her breasts, but he simply could not tear his eyes away from her mask...

From where he was, he couldn't quite be sure if he'd been seen or not, but her gasp made that much evident. He'd been caught red handed, He was _not_ supposed to be here, she probably thought he was spying on her, and she sounded...

"Ku-ro-saki!"

Angry.

Very, VERY angry!"

But by then the water exploded in a twister, and she was lost from sight....

**Uh-oh! Ichigo wasn't supposed to see that methinks! And he might be in for a little punishment! And at last, we get to see a hint of certain psychotic hollow... Yup, Hichigo is very much alive, and Ichigo's gonna have to fight him eventually!**


	17. A Deadly Side

The sudden explosion of reaitsu was mind numbing!

Ichigo looked on as the wave consumed her, then winced,held up a hand to shield himself from the brilliant radiance. The glow now resembled more of a waterspout than anything.

_'Tiburon, so that's what her zanpaktou's called-_

"Azul projectile!"

A light bursts through the spout!

A flash of pain, and his left arm fell, ripped off by the streak of bluish yellow. It had been severed just below the shoulder, and dripped a steady flow of crimson, which would likely be the death of blood loss if he didn't attend to it soon.

"Ow." He muttered.

Brow knitting together in consternation, he willed his reaitsu to the wound. A pale red light illuminated him, then traveled to the dismembered bone, knitting and sew the ragged nerves back together....

Before a new arm burst from where it had been cut.

As usual, he flexed his fingertips, making sure he had a full range of movement. Sparing a glance down at the severed appendage, and only when he was sure that free mobility had returned unto him, did he return his gaze to where Halibel should be.

"Ah man! I just my tatoo back and now you've gone and ruined it!"

"Cero!"

Brown eyes widened, and he dropped flat, grabbing the blast with his right hand as it whizzed over his head, then summarily dragging it down into the ground, before it could continue its arc-

He soon realized this was a very _bad _idea, for the cero chose that moment to explode in his face, taking a good portion of skin away within its blast radius. Stepping out of the small crater he'd inadvertently created, he snarled in pain, revealing that the skin around his chest had been slightly eroded, exposing his ribs.

Though the damage healed soon afterwards, he didn't want to go through that again.

But he frowned as his gaze returned to the water spout, which had now evaporated.

"Where in blazes did she-

Zangetsu, still in knife form, flew out of its leg sheathe , catching Tiburon from behind.

-Go?" He smirked, enjoying the look of surprise she had to be wearing underneath that mask-

An angry shriek greeted him, clearly confirming Halibel's fury.

With a spin, the two disengaged, and faced each other, Ichigo landing in a crouch, from which he now rose, his eyes slowly traveling upward...

"Listen, I didn't mean to-

And then he saw her.

Ichigo turned red as a tomato, one thought running through his mind.

"Gwah!"

All of her clothes...

They were gone!

The parts of her mask were still around her neck, and now barely covered her nipples, exposing her tattoo, but...

And for the second time that night, his mind went blank.

"Your...face! Your clothes! Halibel, what the hell is this?!"

"Is there a problem with my resurreccion, Kurosaki?" She asked quietly, her tone that of one who is about to inflict unimaginable pain and suffering upon their unlucky victim. "After all, you _did _come out here to spy on me, didn't you?" A twitching hand touched the spaulders on her shoulders and the two wing-like protrusions on her back billowed out in response, adding to the dark aura of fury that swirled about her voluptuos frame. "I swear that's a mistake you'll live to regret before this night ends!"

Just then he noticed she wasn't _entirely_ naked, for she had mini-skirt consisting of bones and something that reassembles a spine down her stomach, finished up with a pair of knee long boots and long elbow gloves.

Her sword was now a nasty looking Zwandier, which looked a LOT like a shark's tooth.

_'One hit from that and she'll cut me in half!' _He realized, remembering her attack of earlier.

She was only one rank below him, yet practically his equal in terms of sheer power. Already, it was obvious that he wouldn't be able to fight in his gigai form,n ot to mention this much reaitsu would be enough to practically raise the dead!

"Hey hey w-wait a sec!" He protested frantically! "Do you want to alert every soul reaper in the sereitei?!"

Before she could respond-

"I finally found you Arrancar!" Declared a bold voice! "Now turn and face me, so that you may fall before my blade!"

Ichigo turned his head to see someone wearing a shihakusho. He was a nondescript person, with long spiky black hair, slanted eyes, and rimmed spectacles worn over his face. His companions weren't saying anything, but one, out of the three whose face wasn't hidden by a cowl, wore a shihakusho as well, but aside from that it was obvious...

They were Shinigami.

The man smirked.

"Kurotsuchi Mayuri was right! I thought I sensed a familair reaitsu," He now jabbed a finger at the higher ranking of the two arrancar, "But never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that it would turn out to be you, Kurosaki Ichigo!"

_Kurotsuchi? The heck is that?'_

The segunda tilted his head lightly to the side.

"Do...I know you?"

The man pushed up his glasses with one finger, a small smirk touching at his face."Perhaps I should refresh your memory, hollow scum. I am twelfth division, third seat, Taukya Sukochi, and the one who will kill you!"

The woman beside him, a petite little thing with shoulder length silver hair, frowned.

"And I am second division, third seat, Mizuki Sasakibenio finally meet you."

"By yourselves?" Halibel suddenly spoke up, taking a small step forward, her stance betraying nothing, but her mouth was set into a grim line. "You are a fool to think yourself capable of such an action-

"Ha!" Sukochi laughed, reaching into the folds of his sleeve, and pulling out what looked like a syringe. A strange red fluid could be seen within it, glimmering in the full moon light when he held it up to his face. "I have come prepared!"

Much to their surprise, he now jabbed the needle into his neck!

For a second, his eyes rolled back, but only a second. When the irises could be seen again, Ichigo noted with horror that they were yellow, now with blackened sclera.

_'He...hollowfied?! No, he doesn't have a mask, so..._

A green aura now surged about Takuya's body, and a cackle followed soon afterwards. He threw his head back, and shouted aloud to the heavens, his eyes alight with glee!

"Power! What POWER!" As he spoke, hsi voice began to change, taking on an aftertone, as if someone was speaking over his own voice. "I've never imagined the serum would work to this degree!" The glow was now a blazing light around his body, and he drew his weapon, a katana, from its sheathe. "Not even in my wildest dreams did I expect this _magnificient_ result!"

_'What is this?' _both espada wondered.

"Now behold!"

As he said this, he raised his zanpaktou, a nondescript weapon with a black hilt-wrap and oval guard, to the right. Sparks began to dance about it, causing his long dark hair to sway behind him.

"Bring down the heavens, Gai-Suraisu!" **(Heavenly slice)**

"Shikai?" Muttered Ichigo.

Misuki shrugged, and drew from her sheathe what looked to be a small dagger with a rotund handle, and curved handguard. It was a tiny little thing, bare even registering within Ichigo's field of vision, until-

"Split the earth, Kanadzuchi!"

That little dagger suddenly became a long curved scimitar with an oblong guard. Purplish energy sparked off its curve, and danced about Mizuki, who's expression was still one of bland distaste.

"You used the serum." She stated, matter of factly, not even deigning to glance at her fellow third seat. "You know what that'll do to you if this lasts too long."

He brought the scythe around to swing, and a bright light illuminated the night!

"Then I'll end it quickly! For the glory of captain Kurotsuchi!"

Ichigo frowned, and Halibel's eyes narrowed.

_'Captain?'_

"Kamataichi!" **(Wind slash!)**

"Yakedo-Kashou!" **(Crescent flame)**

Ichigo had felt the massive gathering of energy, and he knew Halibel had sensed it was well. So as the blast of wind and flame, a roaring vortex of firey doom, rushed from their blades and mingled with each other-

They simply used sonido to dodge.

However, they had neglected to notice the home behind them.

Ichigo was the first to realize something was up, as he saw Takuya's smug grin.

"Look behind you, arrancar!"

A nearby house was ablaze!

"What now, arrancar?!" Laughed Takuya, as several dark blurs streaked into the the building, and now those next to him, Mizuki and the two other robed figures, were gone as well. "I know all about your weaknesses! For some reason, you two, out of all your brutish comrades, won't fight when innocents are around or in danger! Am I right?!"

"Teme!" Snapped Halibel suddenly, showing a rare flare of emotion, the azure aura blazingly bright! "You would _dare_ to threaten the innocent lives, lives you have sworn to protect, just to have a free shot at us?! And you call yourself a soul reaper?!"

"Do not make me the villain here, woman!" Chastised Takuya with a smirk, wagging a finger at the blond, his tone that of a father repproaching a insolent child. "Had you taken the attack, no one would have suffered, but because your comrade shoved you aside, this is your punishment."

Halibel had had just about enough of this.

First, she went out just to catch some fresh air. It'd been a routine outing, and provoked mainly out of curiosity, something she wasn't neccesarily known for, yet possesed in spades. She'd wanted to see what the moon looked like, here in the real world, and maybe feel how the cold water felt against the bare skin of her released form.

That'd all changed when she'd caught Kurosaki peeping on he!. He really had some nerve going around and spying on _her_ of all people! Now the shinigami were here, and unless they took care of them quickly, the situation, and their vacation, was doomed to failure.

Her gaze now darted back to Ichigo, to see what he thought of all this commotion, not that it mattered, because she swore to herself that she'd kill him for spying on her. What she saw was a surprised look etched into his vision, for he still stared at the burning beach house.

Ichigo....

Right now, he was praying that nobody was home...

However, that was not the case, as his ears picked up the sound of children screaming. "Mommy! Daddy!" Their cries, the screams of innocent children, echoed in on his ears, reminding him of that day... His eyes narrowed to slits, and he spit a curse.

"Take care of the shinigami."

Before he had even realized it, he was already sprinting towards the house, dropping out of his gigai, then taking off into a headlong run! With the emergence of his real body, he felt the old power return to his bones, and hastened to the house, becoming a blur in the night!

"Wait, Kurosaki!"

"Hang on!" He called, more to those inside the house, than to Halibel herself.

Disappearing in a flash of Sonido, he burst through the door! Fire and ash greeted him threatening to suffocate his lungs, and scorch his skin, ready to consume him whole...

Had he been human.

But as an arrancar, the smoke only stung at his eyes, and the flames only made his skin feel warm. Wading through the inferno like it was nothing more than smoldering embers, Ichigo confronted the shinigami that doubtlessly lay in wait for him.

The first was a man with short auburn hair, standing before a woman, who clutched something tightly to her chest. To Ichigo's horror, he watched the woman say someting which obviously enraged the soul reaper...

She fell backward, bleeding at the arm, still clutching the bundle wrapped in blankets.

Anger surged through his veins, turning his vision red.

"Teme...

Fortunately, the man had yet to notice the arrancar creeping up behind him. But Ichigo did not have the time for stealth, and instead rushed headlong, Zangetsu elongating back into the mighty cleaver it was.

The man hadn't the time, nor the reflexes to dodge, and as a result, was entirely unprepared for the point blank thrust. Something must've alerted him however, for he spun at the very last second.

All he saw, charging through fire and brimstone, was the face of his killer. A look of surprise reflected in his eyes, as he saw the giant zanpaktou sticking through his gut, and emerging from the other side.

He looked like he was trying to say something, but couldn't quite form the words, instead dying with only a death rattle. Ichigo tossed him aside, not sparing him a second glance.

Until a ticking sound could be heard...

Someone screamed, and without thinking, he threw himself over the woman, just as the body...

Exploded?!

For indeed, shrapnel now flew everywhere from the man's gut, but none of them stuck into his skin. However, Ichigo stared on in horror, peering through the ash, and as he saw that the metal had ripped its way our from what was left of the shinigami's gut, he nearly vomitted right then and there.

What madness was this?!

From the cloud of smoke that he'd created, another attacker came!

"Die, hollow!"

Focusing on the matter at hand

Ichigo leaned his head back, the blade flashing harmlessly over his nose, then coming back around, obviously intent on splitting him in two. But his hand lashed out, then gripped the blade, drawing sparks as it was forced to come to a spark. "Wait! Why're you doing this?!"

"We will do whatever it takes to rid the world of the hollows." Responded a voice, and Ichigo winced as steel raked across his chest from behind, forcing him to release the first man, then roll aside. "If innocents must be sacrificed for this sake, then so much the better." The woman before was his attacker, and she had chosen to come in with a wide horizontal sweep, normally a good move that was either guaranteed to hit, or at least make your opponent move-

But if you were fighting an espada, the _last_ thing you wanted was to make him move.

Ichigo slashed about with Zangetsu, catching another unseen attack.

He smirked, his hand forming a point.

"Die."

The man behind him teetered backwards, a gaping hole in his abdomen. Ichigo braced himself, expecting another explosion, and his caution was well rewarded, for unlike the first, this man exploded in a ball of fire, consuming the room!

"Kuso!" Cried Ichigo, realizing he had to escape before he was devoured. As he ran, he grabbed the woman, bundle and all, up by her waist, roughly threw her over his shoulder, and kept going!

The first turn he found, which was basically the stairs, he took.

Less than an instant later, he felt the heat rush past, scorching his feet, but that was basically it. Briefly, he set the woman down, to make sure she was alright.

A look of sadness marred his features at her tears, but now another sound was heard.

"A-Arigatou."

"Eh?" He kept his back to the woman, but judging by what he had seen earlier, and how she sounded to be in pain, he turned around.

He looked down at the young woman of twenty, whom he had just thrown himself over to protect, and just saved from a firey death. The soft sound of crying alerted him to another prescence in the room. The bundle in her arms moved slightly, and some of the blankets fell away to reveal...

An infant.

A blast of heat behind him reminded him of the situation. The home was collapsing, and there was still a shinigami loose in the building. Making a decision, he decided to get the hell out of here.

Recovering himself, he nodded, and extended a hand to her.

"Is this everyone?"

She managed a nod.

"But my cat-

Ichigo groaned.

"Where?"

"Th-The kitchen-

Ichigo dissapeared, then reappeared, holding a tiny kitten under his arm.

"C'mon lady! We gotta go!"

She nodded, and took his hand.

"Hai!"

Ichigo pointed to the nearest wall, and formed a cero at the tip of his index finger-

"Look out!"

He whirled at the last second, to see the shinigami from before coming at him.

Ducking low, he slammed the pommel of Zangetsu's handle into her face, stunning her. The edge of the blade, now glowed a crescent whitish red, and with another swing, the Tensho wave catapaulted the shinigami backwards...

But by then he had already barged through the wall...

--

Ichigo hit the sand running, and not a moment too soon, for the house soon exploded behind him. He breathed sigh of relief, and set the woman, her child, and the kitten down.

Both had already passed out from a lack of oxygen, but a quick check of their vitals proved that they were alright.

Halibel stood triumphantly over the body of Takuya, a disinterested look on her face, but she scowled once she saw Ichigo, the latter turning white as a sheet, and putting even Ulquiorra to shame with his coloration.

"Now, as for you....

"How annoying." Someone sighed, and a flare of reaitsu buffeted them, cutting her words. "I honestly didn't want to damage such high class specimens such as yourselves, but it would appear that you've left me little choice in the matter."

From out of the shadows, stepped an odd looking man, and behind him, a rather petite, yet beautiful girl. Their spiritual pressure was definitely up there, enough to mark both of them as a threat, Halibel noted.

The man smirked as he drew a zanpaktou from the sheathe positioned before his pelvic area. "Oh well, as a scientist, I suppose I must make some sacrifices for the greater good...

Ichigo frowned.

"And you are?"

The man with the facepaint chuckled, but it was not pleasant. Even for a shinigami, there was something twisted about this man, from the way he held himself, right down to the odd shape of his zanpaktou.

"Kurostuchi Mayuri, Twelfth squad captain. Might I ask your names?"

"We're not inclined to give them to you." Replied Halibel coldly.

Mayuri sighed.

"Well that's incovenient."

"How so?" Ichigo asked guardedly.

Mayuri's smile stretched across his hideously creepy face. A pallid red aura surged about his body, leaving him ill at ease, and not just because of his looks, or the color of his energy.

"If I don't know your names, I won't be able to label you when it comes time for your dissections."

An alarm bell went of in Ichigo's head.

"Slay! Zangetsu!"

"Bankai."

--

Yoruichi saw the column of purple light before anyone else did. She also noticed the spiral of red that accompanied it, and the huge, ghastly form of a monster so hideous, that words alone could not describe it.

"Looks like we were right....

Ichigo was here.

**Trouble in paradise?! Will their vacation be ruined?! Oh well, I HIGHLY doubt all this spiritual pressure is going to go unnoticed by Aizen and the others, so get ready for chaos!**


	18. Opening Up? Ichigo's Inner Demon

Ichigo swept out of the smoke, his lizard-like form glistening with red light. However, there was a slight difference in his face this time, as his face appeared to remain the same as its usual release, but now more intricate red lines ran over its facets, including the white skin, black sclera, and yellow eyes. Eyes which now narrowed to slits, and a small smirk twisted his face upward, for once he saw exactly what Mayuri's bankai _was_...

He began to laugh.

"That's it? _That's _a bankai?"

The massive form of Konchiki Ashisogi Jizo, towered over them, covering both the tercera and segunda espada in its shadow. Its giant bulbous head was encircled by a halo, as if it were an angel, but its grubby childlike arms, and long body which looked like a caterpillar's.

_It was ugly._

"Hideous." Commented Halibel in a matter of fact tone, her face betraying nothing, even with her mask gone. Emerald eyes reflected cold distaste, almost as if she was actually _bored_ with this opponent. "Tell me, just what do you intend to _do_ with something that large and unwieldy?"

Mayuri just laughed, and that was when his zanpaktou opened its full lips, allowing a thin mist of what was either purple smoke or fog, to billow out of its maw. It wafted across the sands towards them...

"I suppose I may as well explain it to you cretins." Mayuri sighed, "This mist you see before you, is a toxic derivative of my blood, in other words, a deadly poison for which there is no antidote!"

_That got their attention,_ he thought to himself, as he observed a stiffening in Ichigo's posture. _As it should have..._ "There's no use resisting! Within seconds, you'll both be nothing more than lifeless husks!"

"Halibel."

The blond gave him a glance.

"What is it?"

"Can you whip up a waterspout?"

She got his meaning right away.

"That's risky."

"You got a better idea?" He snapped, glaring at her over his shoulder, whilst his tail thrashed angrily on the ground. "If so, feel free to enlighten me." His position was stiff and rigid, not only physically, but mentally, meaning he wouldn't budge an inch on this, unless she really did come up with a better plan. Unfortunately, she really _didn't_ have one.

"This had better work." She sighed, raising Tiburon to her left.

"It will."

In less than a second, the water spiraled upward, creating a waterspout, just as he'd asked. It remained where it was, held in check solely by the sheer force of her reiatsu.

The crest on Ichigo's chest began to glow.

His golden irises shimmered brightly, and from nowhere...

He started to chant.

"Oh overflowing blue sky...

The winds began to blow.

"Dance across the earth...

He raised his right hand.

"Sweep through the trees, brush across the clouds...

_'What is this? _Mayuri found himself wondering, his scientific curiosity aroused by this, this most unusual of displays..._'It cannot be kido, there is no such spell involving this level of incanation...._

"And split the winds!" Ichigo declared, and a gust came up, howling in their ears, ripping at their clothes, and sending the sea itself into chaos! "Crumble the mountains to dust, vortex of supreme and unholy wrath, bring forth... Messer!"

His arm was now encased in a metalic liquid, which molded itself to his hand, funneling the destructive forces he had summoned! The winds formed a focused edge, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what he was planning.

"Nemu!" Kurotsuchi demanded!

His 'daughter' leapt forward as commanded, but Ichigo didn't hesitate in the slightest, as he once might have. Once she'd grabbed Messer's hilt, if you really could call it that, for it was practically part of his arm in this form, she'd been deemed a threat. Unfortunately for the lieutenant, once she'd tried to tilt the weapon down, his claws mercilessly slashed her straight up and across in an arc that carried from her left hip to the shoulder.

It wasn't _quite_ enough to cut her in half, but somehow she still held on, much to his annoyance. Her face betrayed nothing, not even the slightest hint of fear, and this both annoyed and unnerved him to such an intense degree, that for a _second_, he entirely forgot himself in the raw red fury that was his wrath.

"You stupid shinigami!" He snarled, bringhing back his free hand, clawed fingers clenched into a deadly tip! "Let go!"

There was the satisfying crunch of Hierro meeting bone and tissue, then he pierced her right through the stomach. Reveling in her gasp of pain, he dug his hand deeper, until her grip at last lessened, if only slightly. Her sea foam green eyes went wide for a moment, staring into his golden ones. Then he forcibly tossed her aside, her body landing in a heap to the right, and she did not move, aside from the haphazard gasps she sucked in.

Mayuri looked on in surprise as Ichigo now pointed this strange device at the poisonous fog. "Sacrificing your own people, just to get a shot at me eh?" A sardonic grin twisted his face up into a sneer. "Its effective, and ordinarilly, I'd have to say I approve of your methods," Less than a second later, an intense cyclone erupted forth from its tube! "But suddenly I don't seem to agree with that."

Halibel now released her control on the miniature tsunami she had whipped up, and the cyclone met with the waterspout, creating a roiling vortex of both sea and sky! To say that the attack was intense would have been a major understatement, as it was nowsweeping everything, the bodies of the dead shinigami, and the fog, casting all of it away and aside!

Somehow, Nemu managed to remain where she was, but even then, it was only because she had dug her hands deeply into the sand, up to her elbows, thus securing her a handhold.

"Next time, send someone who at least has a chance of beating me." Ichigo finished up, as the storm raged about them. "Its annoying, when you send a lamb to the lions den like that." The heavy mist, a result from their combination attack, the tsunami having faded away, now hung over in the hot and humid air. "Not that you have a chance now anyways."

This was something Mayuri had not anticipated, but no, the scientist was not detterred in the least.

In fact, he actually _laughed_.

"No matter! The toxin itself still _lingers_ in the air. In fact, it should be working its way into your lungs, even now, despite your body's pitiful efforts to divert it-

Nemu's coughing, which had been going on in the background for quite some time now, finally got on his nerves.

"Do you have to make so much noise over there?"

When she did not cease her coughing, _that_ was when Mayuri Kurotsuchi lost his temper.

"You stupid slut!" He snarled, whirling on Nemu, who lay a foot or so away from him, thanks to the angle in which Ichigo had so viciously tossed her. "I told you before, not to let go of him, even if your arms fell off! It's your own fault for being so incompetent!"

Ichigo's left eye twitched if only slightly.

_'What on earth...._

"My....deepest apologies...she gasped, struggling for air. "But...m-may I have some of the medicine....

Mayuri stared down at her emotionlessly.

"The wounds....seem to have penetrated my lungs...AH!"

She screamed in pain as her 'master' kicked her in the side!"

"You insect!" He all but hissed, kicking her repeatedly with every single syllable, driving his heel deep in her wound with every single movement! "Are- you- suggesting- that- there's- something- wrong- with- your- body, that- such- an- insignificant- slash- could-

A slice of red energy silenced him, taking his arm!

"Enough." Steam rose from Ichigo's right hand. "

Mayuri frowned, distracted.

"Hmm? You're both still alive? I was almost certain the poison had killed you by now."

Halibel rolled her eyes in mild annoyance, but it was clear that she too was not pleased by Mayuri's actions.

"Are you touched in the head, shinigami?" She now waved a hand in an all emcompassing gesture. "Look about yourself."

Kurotsuchi did, and just now seemed to notice the mist. At first, he didn't really seem to care about the heavy fog that was steadily beginning to blanket the beachead, but after a moment of analyzing the situation, it occured to him.

"This area is covered in mist." Halibel stated, as if that explained everything, when in fact, it only left everyone with more questions. "Its composition is dense, due to the H20 particles floating about." She raised Tiburon, and held it before herself. "I control aqua, water. It was a simple matter to saturate the air, making this poison mist saturated with moisture, thereby delaying your poison from taking effect."

Mayuri clapped his hands.

"Impressive. But all you have done is buy yourself some time."

His bankai still towered over them in the mist, as if waiting for his command.

And it was given.

"Attack! Konchiki Ashisogi Jizo!"

Ichigo's response was to disperse Messer, and his crest ceased glowing a second later. He raised one hand, as the massive creature flat out bull rushed him, obviously intending to skewer the espada on its many blades.

"Halibel, lemme have this."

She rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Men."

"Hey!" He protested! "The heck is that supposed to mean?!"

"I don't feel like explaining it to a _lecher_ like you." She replied in a clipped tone.

"For the last time, I wasn't-

"Do you really think you have the time to talk?!" Mayuri laughed!

Ichigo blinked, and shot Halibel a glare.

"Nevermind! We'll talk later!"

He brought his hand back, clenched it into a fist. The fist began to glow a bright red, and that glow traveled the length of his arm, halting at the shoulder. His aura, now surged into what looked to be a set of wicked spikes, which traversed the length of his arm.

A hand on her arm prevented her from saying anything else.

It was Stark.

Standing someways behind him, was Aizen, Gin and Tousen.

"Back up." He asked quietly.

She did so, allowing herself to be led back to Aizen.

"You released." He said this in a calm tone.

"Hai." She replied quietly.

The former fifth division captain surprised everyone by shrugging his shoulders, his expression nonchalant."I suppose I'll let it slide this time. After all, Ichigo's about to get his first taste of a shinigami."

Before she could answer, Halibel suddenly went into a coughing fit.

A rare frown marred Aizen's face.

"The poison."

By now, Konchiki Ashisogi Jizo was nearly upon Ichigo, who smirked.

"Looks like I get to have some fun!"

KRAM!

The ground exploded in a shockwave as they collided!

"Oh well, it should be easy to dissect him now." Sighed Mayuri-

"You might want to look closer, Kurotsuchi." Called Aizen from the sidelines, and the twelfth division captain was surprised, not only by the sudden appearance of Aizen and fifteen or so other arrancar behind him...

But rather the fact that his bankai seemed to have _stopped_.

Ichigo smirked, for he had simply raised a hand to block the beast, which now strived against him, but to no avail, it wasn't going anywhere. He had his grip on its face, and that held it in place, whilst its many blades lay scattered on the sands around him, broken and shattered.

The zanpaktou didn't budge an inch, almost as if it had hid a solid brick wall. Mayuri had enough time to open his mouth in a silent 0, and time seemed to slow as the arrancar began his counter attack.

"Gran... Impacto!" **(Grand impact!)**

A flash of red erupted from his fist!

Ichigo thought that was it, as his attack hit home, disintegrating the zanpaktou, and descending upon Mayuri like a vengeful angel. However, just before his imminent death...

Someoene grabbed him.

"You again!" He snarled, as Nemu seized him by the arms! "How're you still-

However, she did not answer, and using every last bit of her strength, instead jerked him downward into the sand, nudging the blast aside at the last second...

And sparing her master a rather painful death.

Mayuri rolled aside, just as the huge swathe of red light rocketed past, and instead of losing his life, came away with only his arm missing. Though it hurt, he had to admit it _was_ preferable to losing his life.

Dust and dirt were kicked up, obscurring the combatants from view, and giving him time to think over what had just happened, and what exactly he should do. Realizing he was severely outnumbered, Mayuri wisely chose that moment to open a senkaimon and retreat.

Ichigo however, was furious, and grabbed Nemu by the arm before she could go after her captain.

"BITCH!" He howled, seizing Nemu by the throat! "You've gotten in my way for the last time!" He raised his right hand, grabbed her face, and now began to charge a sparking red cero, whose purpose was grueseomely obvioyu. "I'll make sure you don't get in my way again-URK!"

His vision suddenly began to swim, as if he had been spun around one too many times. His legs felt like jellow, and his arms ten times as heavy as they had been a second ago. Before he could stop himself, he vomitted blood, then fell to his knees, the cero dissipating, though he still held Nemu in a death grip.

_'Kuso! The poison!'_

Aizen turned his gaze to the east as an incoming flare of two familair reaitsu was felt.

"Stark, take Ichigo away before-

In that moment, several things happened.

The sands exploded as a flare of white erupted into existence, several surprised cries were heard, one of "Shunko!" another one, of "Bankai!" Someone yanked Nemu out of his grasp, another grabbed his arms and bound them behind his back...whilst he heard pure chaos in the background.

But before he could realize exactly what had just happened-

Someone hit him over the head.

Hard.

So hard, that he blacked out.

The last thing he heard was:

"ICHIGO!"

**Uh-oh! What just happened?! Hehe, you'll have to wait till next time....**


	19. Saddistic

**NO! ICHIGO HAS BEEN CAPTURED! But u r CRAZY if you think he's gonna let that keep him down!**

"Ichigo!"

Saying his first name, feeling it rolling oh so _effortlessly_ off her lips...

It was disconcerting.

But when the dust cleared, Halibel had to bite back a curse.

Ichigo was gone.

Her legs began to move of their own accord.

Alas, she had barely taken two steps, before a harsh coughing fit seized her, each one worse than the last, with such intensity that it felt like someone had punched a thousand tiny holes through her lungs. Unlike the previous bout of hacking, this one didn't stop after two seconds, and ended with a harsh retching sound and the vomitting of blood, as she doubled over in agony, then collapsed into a heap upon the sands.

The poison was spreading to her heart.

Aizen and Gin exchanged a glance, the former speaking softly, of which only this could be heard. "Hospital." Then the latter looked to Kaname, who gave a swift nod of affirmation. Gin now smiled that odd creepy grin of his, then turned back to Aizen.

"Gotcha."

With one easy stride, he loped across the sands, scooped up Halibel bridal style, then watched as Tousen drew his sword and dissapeared in a flash of shunpo.

A swell of spiritual pressure, then-

In the distance, a dome of pure black appeared, swelling to gigantic proportions, as his bankai was activated. Ichimaru Gin seemed to stare at the dome for a second, then nodded, as if to himself.

Then he too was gone.

--

(Undisclosed location)

"Will this really hold him?"

"It better."

"And if it doesn't?"

A sigh.

"Then we'lll have to suppress him by force....

He was aware of other hushed voices, but his mind, dulled by sleep, didn't quit register them, nor who they belonged too. All he did know, is that he was tired, and he wanted them to stop talking so he could just rest-

Rest?

The memories of last night, or was it still night, came crashing down on him. Immediately, two and two were put together, and by casting his senses out, he sensed a horde of unfamilair reiatsu.

"HEY!" He bellowed, jolting back to conciousness!

But when he woke, Ichigo found both arms bound behind his back, and his body tied to a metal chair, his legs shackled to the steel floor, effectively binding him in place, and off to the far left corner, Zangetsu could be seen, locked up in a case, which was bound with heavy red chains.

Captured.

He'd been captured.

Annoyed, he attempted to channel reaitsu into his skin, intending to simply burn away the thick cords that held him fast. It'd be a simple matter to bust outta here once he free'd his right arm-

Almost immediately, he realized he could not do so. For when he tried to summon any sort of spiritual energy, it simply slipped through his fingers, refusing to be grasped or held, always escaping from him at the very last second. After several failed attempts of this, he soon grew frustrated with his efforts, spat an explicitive, and tried using flat out brute strength to break free.

All this earned him, was a painful shock.

"Yow!" He yelped, as the current leapt from the wires and into his nervous system, arcing through his veins, leaving the sensation of literally being on a thousand pins and needles.

"You might want to stay still." Chided a familair voice, the sounds of footsteps accompanying it soon afterwards, then a shadowy figure could be seen on the edges of his vision, barely, due to the room being so small, and sparesly light, consiting of only two glowrods positioned to the left and right of Ichigo. "But then again, you probably won't listen."

But the hat was a deadgiveaway.

"Why you-Gah!" He yelped, receiving another shock.

Indeed, he writhed in pain for a second, but the electrocution had driven the espada into the most unholiest of a rage, and though his muscles bulged against the wire which held him, his eyes conveyed that much, if looks could kill, he would've killed Urahara many, many times over.

"It's good to see you again, Ichigo." The former captain smiled in his carefree way, then pulled up a chair from out of nowhere. Now, there was a table seperating them, something that had not been there before. Kisuke leaned forward a bit, head propped up on his wrists, elbows resting squarely on the table's flat surface. "You look well."

_'How did I miss that? It had to be right in front of me...._

"Damnit hat n' clogs, what the hell is this?!" He finally snarled, when he couldn't come to a conclusion, and after another painful spasm of electric current running through his veins.

"What is what?" Countered the blond with a slightly disturbing smile, tipping his hat ever so slightly, so as to hide his eyes, making the smile even creepier. "But I'm sure you're wondering why I brought you here."

"Duh!"

Kisuke suddenly turned serious.

"Quite frankly Ichigo, you haven't left me much of a choice. You've become increasingly violent these past few months, and though I do admit its my fault for using such an extreme method to restore your powers back to you-

Ichigo frowned.

"You've cleary stopped thinking rationally, that's why we were forced to ambush you tonight."

Ah, so it was still night.

"I could purge your soul reaper powers, but something tells me that wouldn't solve the immediate problem. You'd still have your hollow abilities intact, and I don't want to take an uneccessary risk this time so...

He withdrew Benihime from the cane, and though his expression conveyed great sadness, his words were cold and deadly. The steel glinted darkly in the light, glowing a dim red as it changed to shikai.

"I'm giving you a choice. Either you take a good, long hard look at just what it is that you're planning on doing, or you die right here right now, and everyone will think you killed yourself."

Ichigo glared at him murderously, but when he finally spoke, acid paled in comparison to the venom that was in his voice, his eyes, and his very soul, so great was the fury that he had directed towards Kisuke.

"Aw, and here I thought ya brought me here so we could have a little chat!"

He held his head high, and spit at the blond.

"You know what I think of your offer?! I think you can take your off and go shove it up your-

"Ya-re ya-re, Kurosaki-san." Chastised Urahara, cooling himself with his fan, acting as if they were merely talking about the weather, not some sinister plot that could possibly result in the end of the world, or end in Ichigo's death. "There's no need for foul language here," The sound of a door being kicked in, filled the confined space of the interrogation room.

"Oi! Ichigo!"

"After all, we're in the company of a young lady." Chuckled Kisuke, sitting up, tilting his hat back up to reveal his eyes, whilst Tatsuki so boldy stalked into the room. And it went without saying that she was none too happy. "I'll leave you two alone for a bit, so think about my offer, Ichigo." His eyes glinted. "It won't be given again." However, Ichigo did not immediately notice Urahara's departure, actually he noticed Tatsuki's _outfit_, or lack there-of aforementioned garments.

For some obscurre reason, and it must've been a very good reason, Tatsuki Arisawa was wearing a thin, black bikini. As expected of such a swimsuit, the skimpy garment _barely_ covered the more _noticeable_ parts of her athletic body, yetsomehow added depth to all the lines and curves of her smooth, creamy white, yet with a healthy tan, skin.

Since he had seen her last, she'd let her hair grow out, though it was now only shoulder length, and still not particularly long, retaining it spiky quality throughout.

For a moment, Ichigo forgot himself, and let his eyes wander, something he would ordinarily NOT have done. Quite frankly, he forgot why he was so angry, if just for a second.

"Sugoi." The word escaped his lips before he could stop it.

Then eyes locked with his, and he saw it.

Tears.

"Idiot!" She cried! "What do you think you're doing, just gallavanting on the beach like that?! And that was you earlier at the hotspring wasnt it?! Dyeing your hair black, then changing it back?! Ugh!"

Ichigo reeled back, a handprint on his face.

"What happened to you?!" She demanded, grabbing him by the collar of his white hakama, pulling her face dangerously close to his, but in her fury, she really didn't care about what this might be implying. "You can't just say 'see ya' then leave all of us like that, you-you-

"Release me." He snarled, his pupils dilating suddenly, boring into her startled hazel, which now went wide with surprised, awash with the same icy tang as before. "I told you what would happen when we met again, didn't I?" He spoke slowly, staring her in the eye, refusing to let her break eye contact.

"Yeah....she mumbled, unable to form her thoughts properly, now letting go of his collar.

"That's right, we'd be enemies." He continued smoothly. "But you don't want us to be enemies, do you?"

"N-No...she stammered.

"Neither do I." He all but lied through his teeth. He'd warned them, what would happen if he met them again, but apparently, they'd chosen to disregard his warning.

That did it.

The gloves were off.

Caught off guard, her resitance to his control vanished for a second, and in that moment, he smashed aside the mental barrier which was forestalling him. Her eyes dulled a second later, and that was when he knew she was in his power. Pouring all of his soul into a technique that was difficult to begin with, but even more so without reaitsu to help guide its course, he opened his mouth, and a white airlike substance slipped out. His own body slumped, nonthing more than a corpse without his spirit.

That spirit which now entered into Tatsuki.

A wave of memories, sights and sounds, nostalgic memories familair to him, washed over Ichigo, triggering a brief smile. This body felt light and agile, supple, capable of great speed, yet also possesing great dexterity. He could also feel a large power source within Tatsuki, wells of untapped power, just _begging_ to be released.

A sly grin crept over his face, causing Tatsuki, whom he was currently possesing, to smile. Delving slightly deeper, he pushed his mind against that power, which was safely locked in place. The reaction was quite violent as a wave of icy power surged through Tatsuki's veins, nearly sweeping him away in the flow.

_'Ichigo..._

Tatsuki's spirit began to stir again, resisting his control.

He needed to hurry this up.

_"Now release me."_ He commanded with an air of authority, bidding his puppet to smash the seki seki stone cuffs that held his hands in place. _"I command you to release me."_ She did so, and they shattered with a single kick, though it left his wrists numb.

_"Good girl." _He chuckled, though he sensed her dismay at having comitted an action that she did not intend to do. Her soul violently raged against his hold now, but it was too late. He had her in an ironclad hold, and obviously wasn't leaving until he was finished with her.

_"You will report all the dealings of the shinigami, to me." _He pressed against her soul with this directive, but she instead pushed back, refusing to answer or acknowledge his wish. _"Every single detail." _He insisted, but was met with an ironclad wall of resistance.

Ichigo frowned.

If force wouldn't work-

_"Sorry, Suki." _

She winced inside, at the nickname, faltering again. He'd called her Suki back when they were little kids, back before his mother had died, before everything had changed, and gone screwy...

_"Will you help me?"_

_I...._

Ichigo now proved that he wasn't his old self, for when Tatsuki opened her eyes, or rather, had they been closed to begin with, she was met with a familair sight. It was the sight of the riverbank where Ichigo had walked for days straight, after his mother's death.

Even now, she could see him walking there-no wait, she actually _DID_ see him!

There he was, an Ichigo of about nine years old, walking back and forth montonously. His head was hung low as he trudged back and forth across the wet stones, almost as if he were waiting for him to come back.

Glancing about, she saw nothing else out of the ordinary, in fact, she was back at Karakura, and wearing her high school uniform. Some small part of her insisted that this wasn't real....

_"You will help me, won't you?" _The younger Ichigo asked her piteously, tears welling up in his wide brown eyes. At some point, she had gone down to the riverbank, and now the boy had stopped to stare up at her.

Tatsuki blinked, tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out.

_"Won't you?" _Another voice rang from behind her, and a hand clasped her shoulder. She wanted to whirl around and slap his hand away, but her body wouldn't move the way she wanted it to, in fact, other than her head and necky, her body, it wouldn't move at all...

The arrancar Ichigo smirked behind her, whispering into her ear as he spoke, his breath warm on her cheek, _"Why so serious, Suki?"_ causing her to blush, despite her fiercest efforts to resist it, and the scowl she wore on her face. _"I'm just..._Whoa hey! Was he nibbling on her ear just now?!_ ....asking you a simple question." _He finished, now reaching an arm around her neck, to encircle her in a loose embrace.

The scene before her suddenly changed. The younger version of Ichigo dissapeared, and they were now suddenly standing on Karakura bridge-no, not on it, rather, at the very tip of its spire.

_"Something wrong, Suki? Cat got your tongue?"_

The paralysis still held her fast, even as she tried to twist her face away from him, but now she couldn't move at all, aside from breathing. Her thoughts, they were all out of sorts, and try as she might, Tatsuki somehow couldn't stop thinking of how his body was now pressed firmly against her back...

Her body shuddered as his hold on her traveled down, until both hands had her by the hips, in a loose embrace/hold. _"Are you afraid of heights, Suki-chan?" _His words were pleasant enough, but they sounded....wrong somehow.

Smug, as if he were _enjoying_ this.

_"Let's go somewhere...private."_

The image before her eyes blurred, and now...

_They were in Ichigo's room?!_

_"There, is that better, Suki-chan?"_

He never talked to her like this, so why couldn't she say anything all of a sudden? Why did the _way_ he said her name, and used that damn affectionate suffix, why did it make her heart skip ten beats, and then beat like a drum?!

"I-chi-go....she managed to grind out, but he now spun her around so she could face him. One hand tilted her head up to meet his, and the other snared her by the waist, pressing her even tighter against him.

Slowly, ever so slowly, his face seemed to near hers.

_This isn't Ichigo...._The small part of herself that was still rational knew this, but the other ninety percent of her was still stuck in the warm feeling she felt as he captured her lips with his own, that sensation which began up at her chest and now worked its way down to her hips...

_"Will you help me?" _He asked again, moving her back towards the bed.

By now, intelligent person though she was, and with Ichigo's hands all over her, pulling up her shirt, tangling themselves up in her hair, Tatsuki could barely even restrain herself at all.

"Yes Ichigo! YES!"

--

"Gah!" Ichigo sucked in a breath of oxygen as his soul returned to his body, which had become stiff and sore during his brief absence. He quickly tore off the conductive wire that bound him in place, and from there, it was child's play to get rid of the reaitsu cuffs on his legs.

He looked down at his hands, which were shaking slightly.

"Oi...I might've overdone it a bit there....

Tatsuki lay slumped on the floor, sleeping peacefully, unconcious from such a pervasive intrusion into her mind. She'd be alright, but Ichigo had awakened the power that slumbered within her, and also saw her as a potential ally now.

Not only could she relay information...

It might be kinda nice to talk to someone kinda normal every now and then.

A dull explosion alerted Ichigo to his rescue party, along with a loud cry of:

"Kishire! PANTERA!"

Then-

"Scream! Benihime!"

Less than a second later, a garganta opened beside him.

"Kurosaki."

"Ulquiorra."

He stared at her for a second, then sighed, to himself.

The espada walked over to the case where Zangetsu was held, then smashed it open with his bare hands. He hefted it, then threw it to Ichigo, who snared it out of the air effortlessly. Once the blade was strapped to his back, he realized he could sense the reaitsu of Halibel, some distance aways from here.

"She is being taken to the hospital for treatment." Replied Ulquiorra blandly when asked.

"Matei...(Wait) Wheezed a voice.

Ichigo turned around to see that Tatsuki had grabbed his leg from where she lay.

"Ulquiorra."

The cuarta espada stared down disspasionately at Tatsuki.

"Arisawa, Tatsuki?" he asked coldly.

"Who's asking?"

Ichigo suddenly felt ill at ease.

"Ulquiorra, what're you-

"I don't need an answer. I'm sure it's you. I remember your dim reiatsu." He ignored Ichigo, and continued speaking to Tatsuki, as if the former didn't even exist.

The pressure on her throat disappeared and she fell flat on her butt. She tried to reach for my cell phone, but Ichigo snatched it out of her hand, done playing around, now that he'd gotten what he wanted.

"Not so fast." And with that, her phone was crunched into a useless metal ball. "I have a proposition to make."

"Oh, really?! What kind? If you stay quiet I won't beat you up and I'll just eat your soul nice and quickly?" She snapped, gathering some courage and standing up.

No use being nice at this point, she figured.

"And who the fuck do you think you are?!"

"You talk big for someone whose legs're trembling that hard, Tatsuki." Ichigo suddenly spoke up, fixing Tatsuki with a cold and unfeeling stare that rivaled Ulquiorra's dispassionate visage, who now spoke again. "My name is Ulquiorra Schiffer, if you must know. Cuarta Espada at Aizen-sama's command."

Ichigo grinned as well, but it wasn't really pleasant.

"And I'm the segunda espada."

Ulquiorra coughed into his fist, drawing the conversation back to himself. " Ahem. The proposition we have to make is as following: follow us and Inoue Orihime will be safe."

"What?!" Tatsuki hissed, taken aback.

"It is as I said, woman. If you come with us, Inoue Orihime's safety will be guaranteed."

"It's for the best." Ichigo added quietly.

"Bastard!! You'd threaten Orihime?!" And as this crossed her mind, Tatsuki had already charged against Ichigo, seeing him as her opponent. He didn't even flinch, and she ended up where she'd started: on the floor with a broken wrist and soured leg to add to an already soured butt.

"That was pointless." He stated. "Now, will you or will you not come with us?"

"I have no reasons to believe you'll keep your part of the deal."

"How about if I tell you that if you do _not_ come with usright now, not just Inoue Orihime but also her so called friends will die?" Ulquiorra glanced at Ichigo as he said this, but the segunda displayed no visible reaction.

However, the shock on Tatsuki's face was beyond obvious. "What do you want with me?"

Ulquiorra's face remained expressionless. "You will see once we get to Las Noches. Now, will you come with me?"

"You can't expect me to just follow you." She insisted, trying to stall for time, but judging by the sounds of combat from upstairs, help was most likely not to be coming anytime soon "Like I've said, you gave me no assurance that Orihime would be safe once I go with you."

"Still, if you don't, I have only to snap my fingers and all your friends will die." Tatsuki desperately looked to Ichigo for a reaction, but his expression was unreadable, and he seemed to be looking off to one side.

"Ichigo?! You're really gonna let him do that-

"URUSAI!" He snapped!

As Tatsuki tried to overcome the fact that Ichigo Kurosaki wasn't going to be riding to her rescue, not that she thought she needed any rescuing, Ulquiorra returned his attention to her again. "You probably would like to make sure I'm not just fooling you, right? Well, see for yourself."

What felt like soul particles started floating from him to her. "These are the last images I have of all of your friends." He said, showing Chad, Uryuu, and all her other friends, going about their normal lives, unaware that they were being watched.

"If I go with you, you won't kill them?"

"If you come with us and obey _every_ order, none of your friends will be killed." Tatsuki chewed on her lip, but when Ichigo gave a minute nod, she found herself asking another question.

"Who...do I gotta listen to?"

"Aizen-

Both espada exchange a glance, then seemed to think better of it.

"You'll take orders from me." Ichigo stated coldly, bluntly.

"Okay...

She felt like she'd just signed a deal with the devil, but still she continued. "Don't forget your part of the deal then." Ulquiorra nodded once. "You must obey his every order if you want to keep them safe."

Tatsuki took a small step forward.

"Alright, but you'd better let me get changed-

Ichigo seized her by the wrist, his hand feeling like cold ice.

"We will, now lets go."

As they headed upwards, instead of taking a garganta, Tatsuki felt like she was about to burst into tears.

"So, Ulquiorra, is our vacation done?" Ichigo asked, taking no notice of how she was feeling.

His fellow arrancar shook his head.

"Not quite. Aizen-sama has decided we will relocate for the next two days, due to the interruptions-

"Hold it!"

Ichigo paused to look over his shoulder, and recognized the tan woman from before, the one who'd briefly delayed his return to Hueco Muendo. She had a look of grim determination in her golden eyes, and Ichigo if anything, seemed rather surprised by her prescence here.

"Hmm? You again?"

"Kurosaki, watch it." Warned Ulquiorra. "That's Shihoin Yoruichi, Goddess of Flash."

Ichigo scratched the back of his head.

"Never heard of her. She a good fighter?"

"Very." Replied Ulquiorra, finally turning around to face her. "However, If you hold back like you did before, then I can _guarantee_ you'll end up regretting it in your death."

Ichigo chuckled, knowing he'd been found out.

"Was it that obvious?"

"Of course. You and Halibel, vasto lorde, would have crushed that shinigami in an instant, were you not holding back." Ichigo gave a small shrug, as the base shook again, seemingly unconcerned.

"Fine. You take Tatsuki."

Once he'd handed her off, Ulquiorra told him where they'd be meeting, via a garganta image, and then set off down the hall with a silent Tatsuki in tow.

Ichigo now grinned, his eyes gleaming evily, and placed himself squarely in the hallway.

"Sorry, but she's ours."

"Yours?" Quipped Yoruichi, flicking a strand of violet hair from her eyes. "You talk pretty big, especially for an arrancar-

In response, Ichigo let loose all of his spiritual pressure, enjoying the fact that Yoruichi seemed shocked that he had this much energy, even for an arrancar.

"Didn't you just hear me?! I said I'm a vasto lorde! Which means-

Yoruichi narrowly sidestepped, as he shot past her, a slash that would've taken an arm, instead passed harmlessly overhead. "You don't stand a chance!" She scowled, then rolled away, white light flickering at the edges of her body.

"Shunko."

Ichigo however, remained unfazed as she used the flashcry.

"Let's have some REAL fun this time, Shihoin Yoruichi!"


	20. A Cat's Claws

"Nice spiritual pressure." Ichigo commented as he felt the tan goddess release what little restraints she normally kept in place. But he didn't see her zanpaktou, and that was what confused him. She was definitely a soul reaper, he could tell by her spirit thread, and all soul reapers had a zanpaktou.

"Your zanpaktou."

"What about it?" Yoruichi replied with a small smirk.

"Why don't you have your sword?" He sneered back. ""Do you intend to fight me barehanded? And _please_don't tell me its because of a bloated sense of pride, or that you don't need a weapon to beat me, cuz if that's your estimation of my strength, then you won't last very long." They began to circle each other, much predator and prey, Who was the hunter, and who was the victim?

It was anyone's guess in this kind of fight.

"Well well, aren't you cocky today, Ichigo?" She shot back, never letting him out of her sight, not even for a second as they began to speed up, and he looked about to break off and finally make a move. "You remind me of little Byakuya-

"TEME!"

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, because at that moment, he lunged!

Yoruichi easily caught the right twist punch by raising her forearm, holding him back with little to no effort, though he scowled in consternation.

"Oh? Did I strike a nerve?" She teased, trying to keep him off balance for as long as possible. She didn't want a straight fight with Ichigo, not like this, not when she couldn't use her zanpaktou. Even with her shunko released, she didn't want to take any chances, and needed to conserve her energy. "I thought you didn't care what happened to Rukia?"

"I don't!" He snarled, springing back and away. "But that man-

He closed his eyes, recalling being so brutally stabbed through his soul chain and soul sleep, then left to die a slow and painful death. Maybe it would've been better if he'd died right then and there, and been spared the huge mix up.

He opened his eyes, angry brown orbs sparking furiously.

"Is the reason I obtained this power!"

As he spoke, he began to leak reaitsu, and killed the amused look on her face.

"So it'll be that kind of fight."

"Surprised?" Ichigo smirked, as his body began to glimmer his signature reddish black. The ground rumbled and cracked beneath his feet as he advanced, each step burning into the ground, leaving an imprint of his sandals there. "This is the power we arrancar, hollows who have removed their masks, possess!"

"I'm not surprised." The former captain replied, eyes narrowed to slits, her stance firm and unyielding yet smooth and fluid, ready for offense or defense, at a moments notice. "This is exactly what I'd expect from an adjuchas like you."

"Adjuchas?"

Ichigo slowed his advance to a halt a few feet from her, his smile flipping upside down, and into a frown. "_You_ think _I'm_ an _adjuchas_?" He sounded offended, and was, with good reason, for that ignorant remark had stung both his pride and then some."Tell me," A vein in his head bulged and he spread his legs into a crouch, clenched both hands into fists, bringing his arms up before himself in an X as he did so. "Yoruichi Shihoin, can an mere adjuchas do...._this?!"_

As he said the last part, he gave a loud, continous shout, causing his reiyroku to change from a thin mist, steaming off his body, barely visible...

To a full blazing firestorm!

The ground buckled beneath his feet, creating a massive crater which Yoruichi herself leapt back from and lurched back but a step, her eyes going wide in surprise. _'His spiritual pressure! It's...unbelievable! It's at least that of a-_

"Now do you realize what I am, shinigami?" He finished her train of thought for her, grinning sinisterly as black sparks with a red outline danced about his form, ripping and crackling at the walls, tearing thick gouges down the length of the underground complex walls and floor. "I am _not_an adjuchas. I am....VASTO LORDE!"

With one final surge of dark light, his entire skin flashed a deep red color, and the sclera of his eyes darkened to a pitch black. Slowly, yellow crept over the brown, drowning out the muddy color and replacing it with rich vibrant yellow.

He picked up a serated piece of rock that lay at his feet, and twisted his neck to one side.

Painfully, he jabbed its razor sharp tip into his neck, then carved...

A number.

Instantly, his skin regenerated, but left a black ropy scar at the base of his neck.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself." Ichigo's tone was dripping with malice as he pulled down his collar, exposing the tattoo of the number two carved into the skin of his neck, right where he jugular was. "Segunda espada. Kurosaki Ichigo!"

_'This much power, and he's only the second strongest?!'_

Ichigo cackled wildly as he saw the brief glimpse of fear in her eyes.

"That's the last name you'll ever hear!"

Some dust sprayed into her eyes, and she blinked.

Now he was gone.

A massive killer intent rushed over her, breaking over her back like a wave.

"Looking for me?"

Too late, she realized the attack was coming....

From behind!

Too late, before she could hope to move, a hand clamped down on her shoulder, holding her in place. Something made her look over her shoulder, and she rather wished she hadn't listened to that voice in her head...

But she did.

Ichigo chuckled as he pressed the crimson cero into her back, its ruby red glow giving his face an almost demonic look. Yoruichi's own golden orbs went wide in surprised horror, her mouth opening in a silent 0.

"Now die, SOUL REAPER!"

--

KK-KRAM!

Grimmjow paused from his deadlock with Urahara to swipe at him across the face, spiraling the form captain away as he evaded with shunpo. Both combatants paused as the base quaked violently, then another tremor, this one farther away, rumbled through the ground.

Grinning, he bared his serated teeth.

"Tch. Looks like Kurosaki decided to join the party after all."

--

Clapping his hands together, Ichigo cleared the dusts off them, staring a huge, gaping hole in the wall, through which Yoruichi Shihoin had been flung. A huge swathe of burned stone led up to a boulder in the path, which had a huge melted hole steaming through it.

"Too bad. I thought she was a little stronger than that, but I guess she was holding out on me-

His eyes narrowed and he raised an arm behind his head, seeming to be catching nothing...

"Nice try."

Until he brutally heaved Yoruichi over his shoulder, and into the ground, the impact jolting her spine, and sending a wave of agony arching up her back. Her eyes shut for a brief moment, but she took the suffering she was in, and used it as fuel to keep going.

Gasping in pain, but refusing to cry out, the goddess of flash slapped her free hand upon the ground and used her weight to pivot about. Ichigo, who still had her by the right arm, and had crouched down to throw her, grunted in surprise, snarling as she not only managed to effortlessly bring her left leg up, loop it about his neck...

But then, using her weight to pull him forward, _slammed_ her head against his, the concussive force of this reckless move stunned him briefly despite his hierro, though stars exploded before Yoruichi's vision as well, along with the acrid, metallic taste of blood in her mouth. Refusing to take the time to assess the damage she had just done to her skull, the tan temptress now grabbed him by his collar, uncoiled her leg from his neck and kicked out with both legs!

"Whoa!" Ichigo yelped, as now he was thrown through a boulder, a look of pure rage flickering across his features, just before impact. As expected, the rock shattered upon impact, and by the time he came sailing out of the smoke, Yoruichi was on her feet, and waiting to meet him.

The two collided in the air head-on, the collision sending them both spiraling to the ground, as they ripped and tore at each other, until they hit the ground in an explosion of dirt and debirs, splitting apart, then coming back together with an explosion of white light.

Every block left their limbs numb, evey hit drew bruises and scores of blood, and every miss ripped the ground asunder beneath their very feet.

--

It took a LOT to impress Yoruichi Shihoin.

Block, parry.

She could be called a flirt at times, a temptress, a goddess even, not to mention many other less desirable names. However, those nasty titles were often given to her out of jealousy and spite. You see, Yoruichi, unlike most Shinigami, was a free spirit. She simply _loathed _the concept, nay, the very _idea_of staying in one place for too long, (Or wearing anything other than form fitting clothes for that matter)and kami forbid actually settling down.

Jab with the right, block with the left.

And she hated to fight.

A hit, pain erupted in her side, a cracked rib.

It could be said that she was a coward, for she did not often engage in battle, instead choosing to sit on the sidelines. However, if you thought her fighting skills had dulled after a hundred years of non-combat...

Sway to the right, draw him in, a triumphant laugh...

_Then you were in for a world of hurt._

As Ichigo found out the hard way, once she sidestepped his drop kick, and sucker punched him in the gut.

The air wheezed out of his lungs, and he grunted in surprise...

Then the impact _threw _him through the wall.

Shrieking in frustration, the goddess of flash slapped both hands together, and a ball of yellow light gathered in each of her palms. It sparked and writhed in her grasp, begging to be released, and growing larger with every second, until it had encompassed both her hands, losing sight of them in the golden glow. "Hado #63:

Ichigo came tearing out of the smoke

"RAIKOHO!

The kido spell swallowed Ichigo hole running through and into the ground, eventually ending in a massive explosion.

Yoruichi coughed up blood and paused to catch her breath, but gasped in raw pain, instead briefly hugging both arms to her sides as a wave of pain ripped through her body. "Ugh... Golden eyes scrunched themselves shut as she tried to supress it, the agony, the suffering, the creaking of her bones as she tried to hold herself together.

"No not yet." She told herself when her body whined in protest. "I still got some fight left in me. I can't let it end here, not like this."

"Is that _all_?" Ichigo could now be seen walking out of the crater. "Was that last attack really all you had?" Aside from his jacket being burned away, he wasn't even so much as scratched, unless you counted a small burn mark on his left cheek. Now, as he began to advance, he finally unslung Zangetsu from his back, is cloth unwinding to reveal the massive blade in all its glory. "Go ahead, hit me with your best."

"Shunko."

A white hot blaze of reiatsu erupted around her body, shredding away her jacket. It ripped and tore at the ground, lashing at whatever dared to even so much as come close, and Ichigo just stood where he was, seemingly unconcerned, though his eyes glinted with a battle lust that would rival Kenpachi Zaraki's.

"Yes, that's it! I want to see you at full strength! Hit me with everything you've got!"

"Kisuke....I don't think I can keep this up much longer." She muttered to herself as one hand was raised, then another, clasped together moments later. The white energy of her kido, her flashcry, channeled itself into her arms, her legs, which were burned by the intense energies contained within, possibly beyond repair. "I've done my best, and this is it."

One last attack.

"It's time to wrap this up." She whispered, her eyes now glowing white behind her golden honeysuckle yellow irises. "I'll end this before you release you have the time to release zanpaktou again!"

Ichigo waved her forward, jamming Zangetsu, tip first, into the ground.

"Bring it, shinigami! I don't have to release to beat you!"

The ground buckled under their feet, and both made ready to spring.

"Are you ready?" The bronze woman hissed.

"Just stop your quivering and come get me!"

For the second time, two mighty forces slammed into each other, clasping hands and clashing with the full might of their energies. Furious red mixed with blazing white, creating a wildly fluctuating pink malestrom that wipped and danced about both of them, ripping into the arms and legs, splashing blood at their feet.

As one, they broke apart, Ichigo had a cero charging in his right hand and a Yoruichi was preparing a white hot blast of concentrated kido in her left. Now words were exchanged, just two heated glares that expressed the desire, the will to win, above all else in this world.

With a resounding war cry, they leapt forward, and the surroundings were wiped clean in the resounding clash, which ended ust as quickly as it had come. The dust was whiped away by a gust of wind, and Ichigo, had his hand embedded in Yoruichi's stomach, whilst the shinigami had ruptured his shoulder, ripping it clean off with her own attack.

Sighing, the arrancar shook his head, and the skin began to bulge where the arm had been ripped off.

With a wet pop, a new limb grew in.

"That was close." He sighed, pulling his hand out of her stomach, drawing a gush of blood from her mouth, accompanied by vomit, and a hazy glare. "If I hadn't dodged at the last second, you mighta taken my head off."

The room began to spin before her eyes, and her legs started to wobble. "Kuso... Her head hung low, and try as she might, her body now refused to move-nay, it would not budge a single inch, and she could barely breathe. "You bastard...

Ichigo was saying something, but the dull roaring in her ears drowned out all else.

_I...can't move my legs. I can't move...my body..._

Ichigo raised high Zangetsu.

_Move..._

"Too bad."

_Move!_

"You almost won, I gotta give you credit for that."

_Is this how it ends?_

"Yeah, you fought well. Be proud of that. Its not your fault you can't regenerate."

_No. Not here..._

"Farewell, soul reaper."

_Not like this..._

The blade gleamed in the light.

_I don't...want...to die..._

Her vision began to fade.

_Win...I need to..._

Zangetus was brought down...

_Win._

And it was _caught_.

"Nani?"

Yoruichi started to chuckle, as some white material slowly began to grow onto her face. Just like that, the hole in her gut, closed, leaving flawless tan skin where before their had been a dripping wet cavity.

"Impossible! That's-

_"Heh. Who said_ I _was done yet?"_

**Uh-oh! What is this?!**


	21. One's Name

Ulquiorra paused suddenly, and received an odd look from Tatsuki, whom he was still escorting up the long labryinth of tunnels that comprised the hideout. He seemed to stare into space for a moment or two, his eyes narrowing slightly.

_"What's going on here? That woman's reaitsu suddenly started fluctuating. When it was low, it wasn't of any importance, but if it keeps increasing, Kurosaki might-_

Abruptly, it spiked.

"Is Ichigo alright?"

Blinking once, Ulquiorra returned his attention to the human girl, but did not respond.

"He's fighting, right?" She asked again.

"Yes." He began. "And as with all battles, there is always the possibility of deathfor him, no matter how slim that chance may be, it is always there." He finished blandly, turning back, continuing to guide her to the surface, away from where the fiercest of fights were occuring.

Tatsuki stole one last glance back down the passageway from which they had come. The sounds of battle couldn't be heard anymore, but she felt what could only be described as a 'chill' coming from that direction, a sinister intent to kill, that outright terrified her.

She didn't like it.

_"Don't die, Ichigo..._

--

"The hell is this?!" Ichigo sputtered, unable to believe just what he was seeing, but his eyes were not lying, and he knew what that was, that _thing_ that was starting to grow on her head, it was-it was.... "Who or what are you?!"

A hollow mask!

_"Me?"_ The distorted voice laughed, it sounded like her, but it was like she was speaking underwater or something. Slowly, she raised her face, and to his horror, he saw that it _was _a hollow mask that was steadily encroaching across her face, though it, the mask, looked like a cross between sabretooth tiger and a puma, for the teeth were long, but it had the jawline of the more distinct feline, and those fangs looked _sharp_. _"Duh, I don't have a name!"_

"How do you have a hollow mask?!" The espada hissed, trying to break free of the grip she had on Zangetsu, but to absolutely no avail. She seemed to

_"What're ya talking about, Ichigo?!" _She laughed again, reaching back to untie the obi that held her hair back, allowing the long violet locks to billow out behind her back, a sardonic grin pulling at her face, at least the part he could see.

Before he could react, she kicked him in the face.

_Hard_.

_"You really do suck at this, Yoruichi!"_ She laughed, as he rolled on the ground uncontrollably, almost as if she were talking to _herself_. "_Here you go trying to take on an arrancar without_ me_, and you thought you could win?! Look at you, you're all bloody and your bones are creakin' from the strain!"_

A hand now pulled at the mask for emphasis, which had stopped growing to leave half of her face normal, though with her now black sclera, and wide, violet eyes, she really _didn't_ look normal at all._ "I'll show you...How_ I _use this body!"_

Ichigo rubbed his jaw, scowling furiously as he picked himself back up. "Why you-

A silent swish of shunpo and he suddenly found himself looking up at her, still on his hands and knees. His hand tightened on Zangetsu's hilt, but now she grabbed that hand, clearly meaning to hold him there.

She flexed her right hand, and in a flash of violet, a long elegant _blade_ appeared. _"And of course I have to use...._ Unfortunately, he didn't exactly have time to dwell on its shape and size, for it was soon whistling down through the air towards him!

Without thinking, he fiercely ripped Zangetsu from the ground, but that still left the matter of getting out of her ironclad grip. He had only a second to think of something, so he did the only thing he could. He bit her, biting as hard as his teeth would allow, sinking them deep into her wrist. He was rewarded with a yelp of pain, and this broke the grip on his hand, which now raised Zangetsu defend himself.

_-OUR ZANPAKTOU!"_

Sparks flew as the blade bounced off its faithful edge, and he realized he'd blocked her Yoruichi didn't give him the time to collect himself, instead kicking at him again, forcing him to roll away once, twice, and then a third time, as she doggedly pursued him.

Wildness, madness danced in her eyes, and she laughed again as she struck again!

CLANG!

He threw up his hand and his hierro somehow held up long enough.

Sparks filled the air as steel grinded against steel, spikes of heated reaitsu, red and violet spraying all about! "What are you?!" He repeated himself, flipping his legs up and grabbing her by the neck. Surprise reflected in her face just before he slammed her head first into the ground, and through the cloud of dust that swirled about, Ichigo smirked and quickly got back to his feet.

A rustle of air, and she was on him again, her blade striving against Zangetsu, barely giving him the time to _breathe_, let alone think. But this time he was able to succesfully counter her, though much to his dismay, he soon discovered himself to be dead even with her, whereas before it had been childs play to toss her about like a rag doll.

Her response was to push even harder, actually twisting his wrist to the side in the process. Frowning, Ichigo managed to go with it, slid her blade off his own, twirled, then-

Cut the air where she _should_ have been.

_"You're so_ slow_."_ She whined, and he looked up to see her standing-no _crouched_ on the flat edge of Zangetsu, much like a cat would on a fencepost. His eyes went wide in surprise, and she grinned, almost demonically in response, already thrusting her blade forward-

"Crap!"

_"Too late!"_

Zangetsu was forced down, and the cold steel bit deep into his hand, accompanied by a wild cackle from Yoruichi, who, releasing her sword, now grabbed im by the face with one hand, shoved him to the ground, with the over, and went for the kill almost immediately-

Trying to rip out his throat with her hand!

With a curse, Ichigo rolled away, pulled her sword out of his hand and lobbed it at her whilst her fist was still stuck in the ground. Surprised, she snatched the shortsword, for that's what it was, a sword with a short edge, and a odd oval shaped hilt that curved down like a scimitar, back out of the air, and he used this opportunity to Sonido backwards, putting some much needed distance between him and the shinigami.

What was she?!

His hand stung and he hissed in pain as he took a good look at the wound, which now started to heal, though _much_ slower than it should have. She'd cut right through his hierro, and pierced his hand completely. Sweat beaded down his brow, and his breathing wasn't coming as easily as it had a second ago, and though it pained him to say it...

He was getting tired.

**Ichigo. **

_"What?" _He grumbled, as Yoruichi spotted him again, and laughed wildly, already leaping towards him. _"I'm kinda busy right now!"_

**Why haven't you released?**

Wildly, he swung at her, but instead hit an after image, and his zanpaktou split the ground instead. Frustration marred his normally handsome face, and casting an eye about for her, he again, built up power into his hand-

_"Boo!"_

**Behind you!**

_"I know damnit!"_

Faster than the eye could see, he whipped the cero about-

And it met another cero?!

The two combatants were each sent flying from the concussive blast, with Ichigo hitting the ground and being driven face first into the rocky terrain. However, Yoruichi simply somersaulted to her feet, working _with_ her momentum, rather than against it, taking to the skies to boot.

A wicked grin twisted her face.

_"Wake kitsui, sona no suji anki!"** (Draw tight the strings that hold this fate!)**_

_"Keisei-megami!"_

Her short sword lost the guard into a mist of purple steam, and the blade itself now lengthened from a shortsword to a smooth longsword with a polished black edge, spiraled with a purple dragon, spiraling along its length, with the hilt itself gaining a few inches as well. As for the guard itself, well, there was none now, just blade and hilt.

Ichigo picked himself up off the ground, groaning as he did so, and shaking his head to clear it.

He rose to his full height, but Yoruichi blurred forward and slammed him down with her blade. The weight of the attack was immense, and he was easily forced to his knees, much to his dismay. Scowling and gritting his teeth, he pushed back, but something was wrong.

_"Heki."_ She declared, and was pushing harder now, and soon hand him pinned him down, zanpaktou to his throat, as she crouched atop his chest.

_"Game over." _She cackled, about to impale him on its tip. _"You relied on yourself too much idiot!"_

"No!"

Everything darkened and stopped...

_Stopped_.

He was back in his mindscape again.

**Well?**

_"Ugh, well what?!"_

**Why haven't you released?**

_"My release form's too slow for this and you know it!" _He snapped, glaring up at Zangetsu's material form, hands balling into fists, as if he sought something, just of his grasp. _" I can barely keep up with her now as it is, so what's it matter if I have the power, when I can't catch her?!_

**My point exactly. **A small smile played across Zangetsu's lips.

"Huh?" Ichigo asked, speaking aloud, confusion playing across his features.

**(Music precipice of defeat)**

**Weren't you listening? **Frowned Zangetsu, and Ichigo blinked, as the zanpaktou spirit now held up Zangetsu, which had at some point been taken from him. **If you are two slow to catch her, then you must become faster!**

"And how am I supposed to do that?!"

**Did you know that each zanpaktou has more than one _shikai_ release?**

"Then tell me it, damnit!" Ichigo shouted!

**Why?**

The question startled him.

Why not?!

"Because I'll die!"

**Perhaps it is your time to fall. **Zangetsu replied solemnly.

"H-Hell no!"

**Then take it from me. **The spirit answered, stabbing the blade into the building, were it began to sink away. **Name my second shikai release, and prove to me that you are indeed worthy of wielding me! **

Ichigo closed his eyes.

**Reach deep into your soul, and pull out the answer you seek from me!**

The words buzzed in his ears, he could feel them on his tongue.

So many to choose from, which was the right answer?

_This one, partner! _A voice suddenly laughed, and one phrase stood out amongst many.

His eyes flew open.

"It's...

--

**"Shred to pieces." **He muttered under his breath, and when his eyes opened the irises glowed yellow, glaring back at Yoruichi with intense blazing fury, that the hollow within her actually quailed at the sight of it, giving Yoruichi herself the chance to fight it. **"Shred everything to pieces." **Ichigo continued.

Moving faster than he ever had, Ichigo reached up to seize Yoruichi by the throat, taking advantage of her hesitation. Squeezing down on her windpipe, he tossed her away like trash, and raged to his feet, picking up Zangetsu as he rose.

The hollow was in control again, and Yoruichi rushed at him, but he swatted her away with his bare hand, and she hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. The mask cracked slightly, and Ichigo watched her seemingly duke it out with herself, ripping off the mask seconds later.

However, once she regained control...

He placed his hand along the flat of the blade, and it glowed redish white, as did his aura. It was white hot, and the stone actually fell away before his feet, leaving him standing an inch or so in the air. "You think you have me on the ropes shinigami?!" He boomed angrily, raking his palm across the edge of Zangetsu, coating the blade's tip and point down with crimson as he drew blood. "Well, take a look at this and then decided for yourself!"

He raised the blade high, and declared:

"Shred the _world_ to pieces, ZANGETSU!"

And the red pillar of light consumed him!

**Next chapter, Yoruichi's bankai!**

--

Aizen felt a small smile play across his lips.

"So, you finally decided to use it, Kurosaki."


	22. Killing Intent

**(Music: precipice of defeat)**

As Yoruichi regained control of her body, she was met with an _explosion_of reaitsu, and the massive pillar of light was the first thing she saw, accompanied by Ichigo shouting his release and apparently performing a transformation of sorts.

_"Shit, I was afraid of this...._

The cyclone of black light spiraled upwards endlessly reaching the very heavens itself. Wild lightning, a mix of dark red, and reddish white, overlaid with a hint of light blue, spit and hissed about wildly, adding another layer of chaos to the mix. and Ichigo's howl, a mixture of agony, rage, pride, mixed with something Yoruichi couldn't quite decipher, echoed in on itself endlessly, reverberating throughout the sky and earth, whipping the nearby ocean into a frothing sea.

Her eyes narrowed as the shouting now took on a more ferverish note, almost as if he were _laughing_...

--

(Meanwhile)

"Come on, come on, COME ON!" Nnoitra, now out of his gigai, cackled wildly as Rukia danced this way and that to avoid his Santa Teresa, which seemingly swarmed her from every angle as he randomly switched between throwing it by the chain, and just swinging it full on at her, an unorthodox fighting style that not only put her at a great disadvantage, but kept her at a distance as well, making Shirayuki all but useless. "You're holding back, aren't you?!"

Rukia raised Shirayuki to block, and her arms went numb as the massive scythe axe struck home. _"Switch!"_ The reverberations of another hit ran down from her arms to her legs, causing her to tremble and fall to her knees for a moment, and gasp for breath.

_G-Go away!_

_"I can kick his ass if we switch!"_

Scowling, Nnoitra, withdrew Santa Teresa snatched it back up by the pole, and held its crescent to Rukia's throat.

"Lame."

But just before he could lop off her head-

His visible eye narrowed as a spike of bone chilling spiritual pressure blanketed the beach head upon which the fights had broken out. That spiritual pressure, it had to be Ichigo, no doubt about it. Casting a brief glance around, he saw that most of the other soul reapers had retreated by now, and he was the last one fighting.

"Heh," He smirked, and returned his attention to harassing Rukia, who suddenly wasn't putting up much of a fight, not anymore, as she had gone limp where she stood, head hung low. "Look's like you-

_"DIE!"_

_--_

Something was going on in there, judging by the flashes of white that Yoruichi could see around the edges of the tornado. Each flare was brighter than the last, and with each jolt, the screaming grew louder, louder, until it had become an unearthly wail!

"WARGH!"

And all at once, without warning, the twister collapsed in on itself spreading red light in every direction, and eating up the landscape before it. The dome of reiatsu advanced so quickly, that Yoruichi actually had to use shunpo to safely avoid beign caught within the blast radius.

As the dust began to settle, there was silence.

**(Music change: Creeping shadows)**

But not for long.

"Sugoi... A voice breathed filled with awe and amazement, "I never...Wow, I never imagined you had this much _power_, Zangetsu...

It _sounded_like Ichigo's...

But it was _different._

It sounded like someone else was speaking with at him at the same time, giving his voice an echo over top it. An immense spiritual pressure suddenly washed over her, smothering all thought, and replacing it with raw terror.

A plume of dust and smoke blocked him from sight, though a humanoid shape could be seen from somewhere within. Slowly, the being rose from its crouch, and turned to look her way. Red light gleamed from where its eyes must be, accompanied by a chilling laugh as the shrieking sound of steel being dragged across stone all but filled her ears.

A white hand, for it looked as if all the color in it had been bleached out, appeared from within the smoke, and the fingers of that hand, clenched themselves into a fist. As if by a silent command, all the smoke was blown away by the winds, leaving a few trails of ash in their wake.

"Now...shall we start the second round?" The being, who had once been Ichigo, half rumbled half asked as he finally stepped into view, no longer hidden behind the smokescreen, and now advancing towards her slowly. "Or do you still need a breather."

Her mouth refused to work, words were formed, but they didn't come out of her trembling mouth.

"Impressive, isn't it?" She couldn't tell if he was grinning, but judging by his tone, he probably was. "Actually, I didn't think this whole second shikai thing, would actually force me to go segunda etapa, just to maintain it."

He held up Zangetsu, which had at some point gone from a giant butcher knife...

To a sinister black scythe, easily three quarters the length of his six foot frame, but he still hefted it as if the giant weapon was nothing more than a featherweight to him. "This, is the second form of what you soul reapers call shikai. _Setsu_-Zangetsu." But in her eyes, the weapon in itself wasn't all that imposing compared to its master. Sure it had a double edge at each side, making it capable of cutting both ways...

But it was his appearance, as her eyes ran up his form, that made her blood run cold, and her heart stop.

During his transformation, he'd lost his black zaori sandals, and was now barefooted, seemingly unaware of the sharp stones that lay around his feet. the lower half of his hakama was shredded up to the knees, exposing white skin as well, but as her gaze traveled upwards, she noticed the elaborate red markings on his body, for the upper part of his hakama was still gone, leaving him barechested, with some fabric still clinging stubbornly to his shoulders.

In this new form, he had a full hollow mask donned, and it bore the striking resemblance of a human skull, complete with a jaw joint and rounded forehead. From the back of the mask, four spike-shaped marks stretched, two of them stopping by the forehead, and the other two stretching past those cold and merciless yellow eyes and the sharp teeth, going past his chin and joining with the marks on his chest, which was stark white, as was all of his exposed skin.

Ironically, the marks converged at his chest, resembling a heart, but with the top and bottom open, extending from the inner corners of his eyes. But the most prominent feature of the mask, and by far the most deadliest feature...

Were the horns.

There were two of them of course, long forward-pointing spikes, with black stripes extending from their center towards the tips, almost as if those tips had been soaked in blood, then left out to dry. His hair, was now a long smooth mane of orange that ran down his back, partially obscuring the back of a Hollow hole, this one even larger than his previous one, decorated with markings stretching from the hole, was situated across his chest and shoulders.

Small furry tufts, two starting from his collarbone and stretching around his neck, and one each on his wrists and ankles, completed the hellish transformation, and gave him the striking appearance of the grim reaper.

"Show me your bankai." He commanded suddenly, and Yoruichi blinked.

"Huh?"

"Don't regret this now," He replied, "You have your zanpaktou." He pointed to the blade in her hands for emphasis, then, took a seat on a nearby boulder, and crossing his legs, glared at her, resting his masked chin on the palm of is hand. "Now stop holding back and come at me. When I win tonight, I want to brag that I defeated the legendary Yoruichi Shihoin, Goddess of Flash, when she was at full power."

Yoruichi chuckled, and he frowned behind the mask.

"What's so funny?"

The chuckle subsided, and she gave him a look that was somewhat bitter, and yet sad at the same time.

_'Crap. I might actually die this time..._

"Underneath that mask, you haven't changed a bit, even with Aizen influencing you."

"Che," He sounded annoyed, looking away. "I have no interest in serving him. My goals are my own."

She blinked in confusion,

"Wait...what?"

He waved it off.

"Fine. It wouldn't hurt to tell you anyways, since you're going to die here."

Sighing, she sat down, and crossed her legs, placing her Zanpaktou in her lap.

"Alright, then grant me this last request and spill it."

After he gave his explanation, she nodded, placed both hands atop her sword, and closed her eyes a moment later. "So, that's it then. You're planning to overthrow Aizen, and take control of Las Noches away from him."

"Precisely." He answered, "But I'd prefer to keep my friends out of it, that is, if I can." He gave a deep sigh as he finished, rather tired of talking, and wondering just why he'd spilled his whole sob story to a complete and total stranger. "Which is why Tatsuki is-Hey!"

"What are you doing?" He rumbled angrily after she kept this pose for about ten seconds, and hummed softly to herself, ignoring him. At first, she _still_ didn't answer him, and continued humming for another minute or so, but just when he started to think she wouldn't answer, she opened one eye and sighed in annoyance.

"Do you mind? I'm _trying_ to concentrate."

"You said you wanted to kill me when I was at full power, didn't you?" She responded with an almost sly grin, her eyes sliding shut, her posture still smooth and relaxed, calm even, almost as if she'd resigned herself to her fate.

To die here.

A dim violet glow enshrouded her body.

"Ah, its been awhile...She murmured aloud, as the glow grew steadily brighter. "I haven't used this in almost a century...

"Well?" He tapped his foot impatiently. "Are you ready?"

**(Music breakthrough even)**

Her eyes, now glowing violet behind gold, snapped open in response, and her aura changed from a calm wind, to a raging storm, much like his own had been a moment ago. Taking her zanpaktou, she clasped it firmly in both hands for the first time since her soul society days, and held it straight before herself in a ready stance. " Oh yes." It came out as a sultry sigh, but her face abruptly narrowed into a scowl. "Get ready Ichigo! I'll burn this into your eyes!"

"..." He remained silent as her aura cast their shadows long upon the stone terrain. The ground began to rumble now, and several boulders rose from the earth, only to disintegrate a second later, as her spiritual pressure crushed them down into pebbles again.

_"Yes, that's the way...._

Cracks, then heavy fissures snaked their way towards him, and he stood a few inches in the air to avoid losing his footing. The boulders she had crushed into fine powder, now started to swirl about her, faster then faster, until she was lost in an ashen cloud, punctuated by sparks of gold and violet lightning which swirled about her form.

He felt it coming a second before she said, for her reaitsu then _surged_ to the fore.

"Bankai!"

He raised an arm to shield his eyes from the intense glare of yellow and purple light...

**(Music ends)**

--

(Meanwhile)

Surprise flickered in Nnoitra's face , and he leapt back just before a pillar of white ice erupted outward from the sands.

Sensing movement from his prey, a wry grin tugged at his face, drawing a toothy grin.

Who cared if she had some weird mask on?

In his eyes, she was still a _woman_, and no _woman_ had a chance of beating him!

"Adios, shinigami!"

Rukia's eyes, both those, and those of her hollow's went wide in surprise as the saffron light burst from Nnoitra's mouth, faster than had been expected, and consuming her in an instant, creating a mushroom cloud of smoke and flame.

Nnoitra's laughter, and the fire shining over him caused several of the espada to frown in distaste. Turning to Rukia, he saw her chest rise and fall, as she coughed out a lungful of sand, and tried to get up. But her arms failed her, and she lay on the sands. Her mask was broken, her strength gone, her body beaten, bruised and burned, yet she was still miracuosly alive, and before she could even lament that bitter fact-

A cruel sneer broke out on Nnoitra's face.

"Die!"

He mercilessly kicked her in the side, and Rukia screamed as she felt something break. Nnoitra lashed out mercilessly again, digging his boot into her gut, causing her to vomit blood, sprawl across upon the sands, and gasp for air.

No one seemed to be willing to do anything about it though.

Loly and Menoly had both been knocked unconscious, otherwise they would've been helping Nnoitra harass the poor soul reaper. Sadly, innocent little girls though they were, they both loathed shinigami and couldn't stand the sight of them.

**(Music: Nightmare)**

"This is bad.... muttered Mila Rose, averting her eyes, unable to look. "He's going to kill her at this rate."

"The enemy is the enemy." Ggio countered, unconcerned with Rukia's screams of pain and agony. "This doesn't concern us."

Apache bit her lip, knowing that girl was the enemy, but still feeling a pang of guilt for not preventing Nnoitra's abuse, which was only ever directed towards women. Not only did it sting at her pride, but she just didn't feel right about this. Even if their precious 'Aizen-sama' wasn't even lifting a finger to help one of his own, traitor though he was.... Her hands ground into fists, and she took a small step forward, clearly about to say something-

Sun-Sun spared her a quick stern glance, one that clearly said "Don't."

"But-

"I'm not happy about it either." sighed Luppi, a look of calm serenity on her face, but in her violet eyes, you could clearly see the tension, and murderous killer intent lurking there. "But if _you_ want to go over there and get yourself killed, then be my guest."

"W-What?!" Apache, who had been silent this entire time, finally found her voice. "Are you saying that he'll-

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Luppi replied, glaring at her fellow arrancar, her words cold and icy, drilling their point home, deep into the girl's soul. "If you raise even one _finger_ against him, or say one word, he'll cut you down in an instant."

Raising a sleeve to her face, she sighed.

"And I highly doubt Ichigo-sama can handle another loss right now."

Apache felt the arguement die in her throat.

"D-Damn-

**(Music ends)**

A flash of green rushed past her eyes, and she briefly recognized that shinigami Grimmjow had been fighting. But he was only there for an instant, then Nnoitra howled in fury, drawing their attention back to the beachhead.

The man with the hat and clogs, had Rukia cradled in one arm, and the other held his zanpaktou, which was dripping with black blood, blood from Nnoitra's face. He seemed to say something, then twirled it in a small circle, creating a wave of red which _threw_a surprised Nnoitra into the beach house positioned behind him.

Before the quinto espada could dig himself out of the debris, Urahara raised his zanpaktou again, glancing about to make sure everyone had indeed pulled out, but instead found nothing but a good number of the enemy staring back at them.

Time had run out, and they'd been overwhelmed by the enemy. Their premptive strike had backfired terribly and catastrophically, and what had they earned for it? Nothing, not a single enemy casualty. _He_wasn't hurt, but even he couldn't handle so many powerful enemies, not all at once. He could still feel the two massive reaitsu that were raging against each other, and in his heart, he hoped Yoruichi would be able to lose Ichigo and get away from here.

If not, she was...

He felt her go bankai, and in response, Ichigo's reaitsu doubled as well.

It was obvious to him who was stronger, and she a lone tear, allowing the droplet to drip out of his right eye and fall to the ground. In his ears, it echoed like a loud explosion, creating a dull thud as it hit the gravelly sands.

_'I'm sorry, Yoruichi. Really, I am.'_

"Scream: Benihime!"

And he swung the blade into the sands, kicking up a blinding spray that forced everyone to cover their faces...

_'Forgive me.'_

And when it had cleared, they were gone.

--

**Yes, Ichigo will still get his bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, but not just yet. He needs to fix his mindscape problem first. And will Yoruichi die? Heh, that's my choice, and you'll have to wait till next time to find out if Ichigo's got it in him to kill her! Or if he CAN for that matter...**


	23. The Battle's Conclusion

**(Music precipice of defeat)**

A gale swept aside the smoke, and Yoruich stood before him, body rippling with barely contained power. At some point, she had reactivated her shunko, and the white lightning of the kido technique, mingling with her natural purple aura...

Gave her an almost feral appearance.

However, Ichigo almost burst out laughing, once he saw a few more _interesting features._

Oddly enough, there were, and I kid you not, _black cat ears_ poking out of her violet hair. Adding to this, was the fact that her pupils were now slitted, and strangely, wouldn't you know, there, extending from her lower back, a cat's tail could be seen, swishing slowly to and fro.

**(Insert humorous bleach music)**

"That's it? _That's_your bankai?" He could barely contain his amusement now, and then he just burst out laughing, much to Yoruichi's annoyance. "Oh that's rich! You look like a catgirl for pete's sake! What, I'm supposed to laugh myself to death?!"

A vein pulsed upon Yoruichi's forehead.

"W-Why you...its because I'm not a normal soul reaper, and-

But he laughed over her explanation.

"HA! Oh MAN, I wish I'd brought a camera!"

"Enough of that!" She snarled, reaching behind her back,...take a look at _this_!"

A flash of violet, and a long furrow, a deep canyon, abruptly appeared to the left of Ichigo, the wind from the strike whipping his hair about violently, and spraying boulders everywhere. The mirth died in his throat.

**(Music ends/****Music change Creeping shadows)**

Slowly, he turned to look back at Yoruichi, and now saw her Zanpaktou, a glowing mass of energy, cupped in the palm of her hand. Slowly, the light, which had been a giant double bladed axe a second ago, now reformed, back to a sword, all without losing its golden violet glow.

In short, it was a weapon of pure energy.

"This, is my bankai." She answered the unspoken "Bakuretsu Megami no Tenshi. Also known as Beautiful Burst Angel."

A sly grin twisted her lips.

"And with it, I can create _any_ weapon I wish."

Ichigo smirked, red lining his shoulders. "Impressive. This might be fun after all." The energy was taking the form of spikes, which, the red light, faded to reveal that he had actually _grown_the spines there, out of pure reaitsu. He did the same with his knees and ankles, grinning as her eyes narrowed to slits. "After all, you might at least cut me up a bit."

_'Jeez, he'd love to meet Kenpachi...._

"Don't mock me." She countered, her reaitsu surging upward again, her hair flowing in the breeze her power had begun to create. "I haven't released enough spiritual pressure to impress you yet, but believe me, it's coming."

Ichigo released more red light as a response, his face tightening into a scowl behind the mask.

"You can decided if it's impressive...when I use it to kill you."

They both slid forward a step, ready to move at the slightest provocation.

Tension hung in the air.

"Then come at me." He snarled, snapping his teeth together with an audible popping sound. "COME AT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE, SHINIGAMI!"

With a scream they charged!

--

"Whoa!" Apache stumbled backwards as the horizon was suddenly lit purple, then red, as if the two respective colors were at war with one another. "Did he win? Is it over?" For a moment, nothing happened, then a wave, rather, a wall of wind slammed into them, shaking ground violently, causing everyone, except Aizen to frown slightly as the effect repeated itself again and again.

No, this wasn't over yet.

Not by a long shot.

--

**(Music: Invasion)**

_**"She's faster!"** _Ichigo grunted, sparks flying as her zanpaktou changed to a pair of claws, coated her fingers, and raked through his hierro, ripping the flesh across his shoulder as a hot knife would throug butter. "And I can't hold her!" There was surprise in his eyes, and he scowled as he was pushed back, faster, faster still, until he was thrown right through a boulder, left bloody, then kept going, until he finally arrested his momentum, by digging Zangetsu into the nearby wall.

With a protesting shriek from metal grinding against metal, his forced retreat finally slowed. Blood dripped down his chest, mixing with the red lines emblazoned there, in a steady pitter patter of gore. He stayed eerily silent, as she looked on worn and haggard all of a sudden, so great was his surprise, or so she thought.

"Sorry Ichigo." Yoruichi breathed, lunging forward again, a tan blur in his sights, clearly intending to finish him off here and now as he leaned against the foremost wall for support. Stemming all of her energy into the blade, Yoruichi aimed right for his head, intending to split it down the middle, and by all accounts, it looked like he wasn't going to dodge. "But I'll have to end this quickly!"

CLANG!

Golden eyes widened in surprise as Tenshi was stopped cold.

His hand had lunged out to catch the zanpaktou by its edge, and heedless of the blood dripping down his hand, he held it fast. Slowly, the mask turned to look her in the eyes, those soul piercingly hollow eyes, and those sharp fangs that formed the mouth, they ever so slowly pulled up into a sinister smile.

**_"You wanna end it quickly, eh?"_**He chuckled, abruptly radiating a fierce killer intent, his breathing becoming more even, as he started to generate more reiyroku, if that was even possible at this point.**_ "No way...can I let that happen..._**

Her eyes narrowed.

_'He's up to something..._

Faster than the eye could see, his free hand shot out like a bullet!

**_"WHEN WE'RE JUST STARTING TO HAVE SO MUCH FUN!"_**

Caught off guard, and realizing she'd made a critical mistake, Yoruichi still tried to slash him down the middle, but instead had to pull back just before he could punch another hole, in addition to the one he'd already given her before, in her gut.

_**"I love it!"**_Ichigo cackled as he leapt forward, heedless of the wounds he received in return Sparks flew about as her zanpaktou changed to a pair of claws, coated her fingers, and raked through his hierro, ripping the flesh across his shoulder as a hot knife would through butter. There was madness in his eyes, and he laughed wildly as he returned fire, Zangetsu ripping through the air, and slightly knicking her across the cheek as she sprang back to evade, shredding him bloody across the chest as she went, leaving an x mark there.

_**"Where'd you get this kind of strength?!"**_ He cackled as sparks flew between them, his scythe now clashing against a longsword again with inhuman speed. **_"How'd you suddenly get so incredibly strong just by using bankai?!"_** Faster than the eye could see, steel bounced off steel, and he lurched back, spewing blood from another chest wound.

But his hand gripped her sword, and pulled her forward!

Scowling, the Goddess of Flash kicked out with both feet, booting him hard in the face, freeing her zanpaktu then gracefully backflipping away. Ichigo followed her movements with a wild look in his eyes, and was on her the moment she touched the ground, spinning Zangetsu like a chainsaw. **_"There's a million questions buzzing around in my head-_**

Twirling, he scored the first of many hits, ramming the pole of his weapon hard into her nose, stunning her, then slashing her across the back, drawing a cry of pain in doing so.**_"But for now, I don't care! Let's just enjoy this fight!_**" Then, without further ado, he whipped his scythe back around like a flail, cutting her in two... Or he _would have_, if she hadn't just jumped over it, and stabbed him down through the chest again.

But as luck would have it, he moved to the right, and instead of cutting, the blade passed through his hollow hole, along with most of her right arm. This unexpected turn of events left her wide open to his horns, which, to her embarrassment, she had _forgotten_ about during the heat of battle. And those same horns now skewered her about the shoulders, sticking out and piercing her through, their tips soaked in crimson blood.

She gasped, gagged, and tried not to cry out, knowing he could end it right then and there if he wanted to, simply by using a cero. But when no red blast was forthcoming, she began to realize he did _not_ plan do as she had anticipated, and a moment later, he instead threw her off the spikes, allowing her to get away.

Blood spattered the ground as she sucked in a ragged gasp.

_'Something's not right here..._

He slashed at her again, declaring Getsuga Tenshou, and she rolled aside from the wave of pure spirit energy.

"What's wrong with you?! Do you really love fighting that much, Ichigo?!" She spit a wad of bloody saliva down upon the ground,

_**"Of course I do!"**_He replied with a toothy, shark-like grin. **"This is friggin _awesome_!"**He sprang at her again, but the former captain whipped her hand across the scarce space separating them, and changed her zanpaktou to a scythe. Gripping the long pole of its hilt, she threw her entire weight into the swing, and unwrapping her arm from around her neck, struck with all her might.

Blood sprayed through the air as the scythe ripped into his thigh, somewhat slowing him-

But he kept coming, and his own reaper passed an _inch_ from her nose, before it slammed into the rocky soil. As the dust from the impact cleared, the crazed grin on the mask personified his madness, and he was probably grinning _behind_ the mask too.

**_"This is it! This is the kind of fight I've always wanted!"_**

Yoruichi cursed and jumped back only for him to doggedly pursue her, instead catching her scythe on his wrist before it could be retracted, the grabbing it again and denying her the chance to escape. Red light shone between his horns, and soon took on a black outline, forming a sphere the size of a soccer ball. **_"Eat it!"_**

"Cero!" She cursed, raising a hand to deflect the incoming vortex of red energy. The hollow flash slammed into her a moment later, but she held her ground as it streamed out, and when Ichigo had stopped pouring his reaitsu into it, she found she was able to grab it and holding it there in her hand. For a moment, she let the shock shine in his eyes, then brought her arm back, and like a pitcher on a baseball mound-

Heaved a fast ball right at him!

"Here!"

He frowned as his own cero came screaming across the abyss that split it from him, seemingly unconcerned at its massive power. "Do you really expect to harm me with my own attack, Yoruichi Shihoin?" His horns glimmered red, and he counted the spaces between them.

One.

A foot now.

Two.

Six inches!

Three!

NOW!

With a loud scream, another cero burst into life, and rallied itself against the previous attack. Of course, the two were evenly balanced, but what he hadn't counted on, was Yoruichi firing off a high level spell. Whatever it was, it sent a wall of whitish blue light arching towards him, and burgeoned up his first cero, further pitting it against his own.

The clash didn't last long however, and ended with the creation a massive explosion that which sent both combatants flying into the ground facefirst, and eating dirt to boot.

But not for long.

With a loud crunch, Ichigo punched out at the soil, slowing his momentum as he dug a hand into the earth, whilst Yoruichi did the same. Eventually, they slowed to a halt, staggered to their feet, picked up their zanpaktou, and lunged for the other again.

**_"Heh"_**Ichigo grunted as he began to sense a rhythm in her choice of weapons.** _"These tricks are amusing, but useless all the same. I'll commend you for taking good care of yourself thus far, but with these many weapons, your skill with all of them has to be less than half of what it was when you had a normal sword!"_**

"That's where substance and style come in handy" Yoruichi said, twisting under a vertical slash, then dancing away from a vertical slice, all the while keeping up a steady offense, and staining the ground red with hsi blood. "Did you honestly think I haven't trained myself in the various forms of my zanpaktou?" She continued spinning Tenshi, now a long mance, complete with chain, at her right side with both hands twirling it and started running ahead. She only had a few steps to got before he was in perfect range. Ichigo realized this, and brought his sword up and blocked the first attack, but the reaping horizontal swing still pushed his sword enough to dig into his side.

Then, Yoruichi drew the chain all the way around with a few eloquent spins and attacked Ichigo's unguarded right side, binding his arms to his sides. He smirked, and flexed his arms, shattering the bonds that held him, but the cut was still present, this time deeper than before, with a good chunk of his side missing. "You see?" She said, calling what was left of the flail back to herself, and taking it up as a pair of thin rapiers, all the while, darting around his his back and kick-flipping to the side when he tried to whirl on her, "Style overrules raw power."

**_"Like hell it does!" _**Ichigo said with a grin. Yoruichi did not take it as a joke and frowned while she brought her zanpaktou, in front as an X shaped guard to block Ichigo's jumping slash. As the arrancar landed he shouldered the woman with the full weight of his body, forced her feet off the ground and he swung down _hard_. He expected her, his enemy to fly away, but instead the former captain _hacked _her left blade in the ground used the force to spin herself around and fly into Ichigo's face feet-first.

Now blinded by his feet and off-balance by his weight, Ichigo was at her mercy for an attack, and they both knew it. Yoruichi took advantage of this, and dug her heel into the strawberry's nose, spun around then made a head-splitting chop that traveled nowhere near Ichigo's head but sank into his stomach all the same, as she buried the tip of her second rapier deep within his flesh.

**_"Ow!"_**He shouted, more as a laugh than anything esle. **_"That one hurt!" _**His pain only served to amuse him, and his totally emotionless voice only added to her own unsureness of the direness of his attack. Ichigo, using his opponent's blinding aura to guide him in the storm, brought his own sword up and smashed her in the back of the head with the pole.

It was stern and powerful enough to force the captain to stagger off his face, which let _Ichigo _lunge forward face-first to throw her away. However, her glowing zanpaktou stayed inside the espada , who looked down at it in surprise. Once Yoruichi landed, she was quick to spin around and recover but looked on with _dread_at the current location of Tenshi.

But much to her surprise, Ichigo pulled it out, spit out some blood, then threw both of them, the blades, _back_. They both bounced once and Yoruichi, never really one to look a gift horse in he mouth, snatched it back out of the air, catching it and shaping it into a bo-staff this time, began twirling it around her body like a waist-high halo.

"Thanks." She said honestly.

**_"Don't thank me." _**Ichigo growled fiercely. **_"I'm trying to kill you!"_**

"Well, not for that." She corrected. "I was thinking you'd break my weapon."

**_"Really?" _**Ichigo said, cocking his head to the side. **_"Why would you think that?"_**

"I'm not sure" She admitted. "Honestly, I wanted to see what you would do if you had my own weapon in your hands. If you did break it, well, then it would mean I'm meant to die here after all.

**_"Stop spouting such useless garbage." _**Came his reply. **_"You'll die regardless of what you do."_**

"Then lets end this, shall we?" She countered shrewdly

**_"Yes lets! NO MORE HOLDING BACK!" _**Ichigo roared right back with his own toothy smile and they both charged, meeting in an explosion of mingled red, white and violet, exchanging blows and strikes at a near incessant pace. Yoruichi now adapted a style of rapid rotation against Ichigo's tried and true method of 'attack until you can't'. The staff spun between her fingers and hands with the speed and lethality of a rotary saw, making Zangetsu's speed look almost like foolish steps, leaving him numb wherever it struck, and drawing countless bruises.

The bronze woman spun around on one foot, and to his annoyance, changed her weapon back to a flamberge while his scythe blade cut the air behind her, and all the while she spun right into Ichigo's defense. Now at the edge of his reason, Ichigo decided to hit the annoying weapon out of its rhythm and in doing so, brutally kicked at Yoruichi, intending to knock the air out of her. She dodged, however, and got her rhythm back by spinning the blade and chopping into Ichigo's foot.

Blood spurted into the air, but the enraged arrancar just kept coming.

--

Luppi felt a small frown tug at her lips, creating an expression of worry.

"Someone's losing."

"Who?" Quipped Apache, worry reflecting in her eyes, tending to her arm...

--

_"**HAAAH!" **_Ichigo shouted, with all the berserker rage of a psychotic Zaraki Kenpachi! **_"Is that all you have, soul reaper?!"_**He made a clean hack that traveled right into Yoruichi's weapon, taking a small piece of the glowing metal, and to her dismay, it did not regrow. Shrieking, she pushed him off and countered with an overhead, helm-splitting blow that cut a diagonal gash in Ichigo's torso, shoulder to hip. She assumed that Ichigo, never one for violence, would waver in pain, but she _again _underestimated not only her opponent's sense of fear, but to the extent of which he had changed as a person during his time Hueco Muendo.

Ichigo retaliated in a fierce fashion, dropping Zangetsu, grabbing her by the face with one hand, and pinning her down with his foot. Horns pointed at her head. A red cero now began to glow, less than an inch from her nose. His free hand now reached down to seize her zanpaktou, and take it, but before he could do either, Yoruichi violently kicked out at him, shaking his grip on her, and wriggling free a second before he could impale her.

Rolling to avoid his horns, and using a series of flash steps to avoid the resulting explosion she reappeared in the air, gasping for breath. Sweat beaded down from her brow as she looked down upon the smoky wasteland their battle had created. But Ichigo was nowhere to be found.

**_"Getsuga Tenshou!"_**

Wincing as her muscles spasmed, Yoruichi shunpoed to the left, the crescent wave harmlessly passing her by, leaving her unscathed.

Or so she thought.

**_"Behind you."_**

Too late, she felt the hands on her shoulders, holding her in place, an ironclad grip that prevented her from using shunpo to escape.

Desperately, she stabbed at him, but he did not budge, even as the zanpaktou pierced his flesh countless times and left him scores of wounds.

Too late, she saw another Tenshou wave coming at her from below, its azure fire rushing up to consume her.

**_"You were a fool to take your eyes off me, soul reaper."_**

Too late, she heard the distinctive hum of the cero that Ichigo was charging behind her, growing larger with every second, the stench of the sinister reiatsu light ready to swallow her whole, sparking and dancing wildly, ready to be released.

Too late.

She was too late for so many things.

**_"Farewell."_**

Blue met crimson, and the air was lit purple in the explosion.

**So, did she live or die? Well, let me know what you peoples think!**


	24. Taint

_(Flashback)_

"Are you sure about this?"

"Its the only way to stop Aizen."

Something cold and wet slid down her face, a white substance, pouring from her eyes, nose, and mouth.

Then the screaming began.

--

The snatch of memory faded, and her mind returned to the present.

A streak of purplish red light struck the ground, splitting the earth assunder with a terrible groan! In the resounding crater, there was the clash of swords, one last time, louder than thunder itself, then a shattering sound, that of a sword breaking.

A body hit the ground.

And then all was still.

As the smoke finally began to clear, the two combatants could at last be seen through all the soot and ash that blanketed the air. One lying on their back, gasped in pain, defeated, the other, laughed standing proud and triumphant over them, with one foot pinning the loser down by the chest.

A grin tugged at the mask, as Ichigo could finally be seen, the shattered shards of Yoruichi's zanpaktou held in his right hand. Unclenching his fist, he allowed the broken blade to fall from his grasp, and clatter uselessly at the side of the shinigami.

"Hmm. Looks like you're friends left you for dead." He sounded surprised, as he looked to the left, sensing the end of the chaos on the upper levels. "Not even a rescue attempt? I really didn't expect them to just pull out like that."

With this simple statement, the life left her eyes, and he _knew_ his words had struck home. They cut deeper than any blade, and burned her, worse than the most heated flame, leaving a wound that festered and decayed, where here heart had been.

Not Kisuke, not the man whom she'd grown up with, and shared the space of a century with.

No, not her Kisuke, he wouldn't just leave her for dead!

He wouldn't...

Would he?

That matter was irrelevant to her now, for the arrancar's words had sown the first seeds of doubt in her mind. And he was right, though she could feel the reaitsu of her childhood friend, it was speeding fast away from here, along with the reishi signature of Rukia.

Had she been in her right mind, and had she not been so physically and mentally exhausted from the fight, she would've considered the obvious possibility. Ichigo was lying, he was trying to get inside her head, mess with her thoughts. Of course Kisuke would be back with reinforcements, there was no WAY he'd leave her to die!

However, Yoruichi Shihoin was NOT in her right mind at the moment, and all she could focus on, aside from her humiliating defeat at the hands of the boy whom she'd personaly trained and supervised for the few weeks leading up to his hollowfication, was the fact that she _alone_ had been left behind.

"Do it." Yrouichi breathed, a forlorn look in her golden orbs, her entire body seeming to sag, as if pressed down by an invisible weight. "Unlesss you intend to make me suffer any more humiliation," He looked down, drawn back to her by her words. From where he stood, both horns pointed slightly towards her face, and she could just imagine the deadly sphere of red coallescing between those bloodsaoked spikes.

But nothing happened.

"Just finish me off." She closed her eyes, and waited for the blackness to take her.

Still no answer, and still she felt the pain of living.

Eyes snapping open, she half expected to be greeted by the red light of a doom blast.

But there was no hellish flash of red to greet her, no white light at the end of the tunnel, signaling the end of her journey.

Furious, she grabbed him by the ankle., attempting to provoke a reaction.

"Damnit Ichigo! I told you to-

A dull humming was his response, and the cero abruptly appeared before her eyes, growing larger by the second. "Thanks." Sighing, she release his ankle, and let herself fall back to the earth, eyes slowly sliding shut. "Now do it."

KKRAM!

--

She felt the flash of heat, but that was it.

"Pathetic."

No pain, no raw agony of flesh burning away from bones, not even the slightest _twinge_ of discomfort.

Opening her eyes, she saw a huge gaping canyon, right beside her face.

Her mouth tried to form the words, but he took his foot off her, and much to her dismay...

Turned in the opposite direction, and slowly walked away. As he walked, Zangetsu returned to its usual shape, and he sealed his powers back, returning to his almost normal, sealed state. The sound of his footfalls, hit her ears like a wall of water, growing slowly softer with each passing step.

It was then that she realized it.

_He wasn't going to kill her._

"Matei! Wait!" She called after him, and he turned.

"What?"

"Kill me!" She pleaded, reaching an arm out to him from where she lay, now rolling over on her stomach. "You have to kill me!"

He frowned, wearing his usual scowl.

"And why should I?"

"You said-

"I _said_," He cut in sharply, his words silencing her his brown eyes boring into the very depths of her soul and holding her still, "That I'd kill you if you gave me a good fight," He raised Zangetsu and slashed at the ground before him, wipping the blood off his weapon and splattering the ground red with it. "And though you kept me on my toes half the time with that weird weapon, that was _anything_ but a good fight."

In horror, she watched as his wounds closed up.

"But-

"You were able to cut through my hierro, but that was only because I _let _you." He snapped in annoyance, shouldering the massive blade, and turning away again. "I wanted to see how deep a shinigami could cut me, and all you could do, even at your best, even with bankai, was give me a few shallow wounds."

"What a buzzkill." He sighed, heading for the stairs. "You're not worth killing."

Only to feel a sharp point pressed into his back. Sparks flew as the blade was ground to a halt, and he smirked, on the inside, at the dumbfounded look she wore. Her zanpaktou, unable to keep up with the strain...

Shattered.

"Are you really in such a hurry to die?" He queried, as the remains of Tenshi clattered to the ground, leaving nothing but the hilt and maybe an inch or so left of the blade. Faster than the eye could see, he spun about, slapped across the face, and sent her into the ground, her body hitting with a loud thud. Dispassionately, he looked on as she spit out blood, and struggled to rise again.

It was so piteous, he almost felt bad for her "Jeez, when someone spares your life, you're supposed to thank them."

Those words struck a chord, and ripped open a raw nerve in her mind.

"Shut up!" She barked, "Who are you to tell me what-Ugh!" A hand flew to her face, covering her left eye, as she started to tremble, almost uncontrollably. For a second, he thought she was crying, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't that simple. Ichigo arched an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing, as at this distance...

He could see blackness creeping across the sclera of her eyes.

"Tell me, how did you gain hollow powers?" He experienced a brief flashback of his grisly encounter with Rukia in downtown Karakura, and recalled that she had same sort of spiritual pressure as well. "I have the feeling that you're not the only one with them either."

She stiffened, and he smirked, the grin splitting his face.

"Tell me, and I'll kill you."

She gushed the entire story to him in less than a second.

"So, there _are_ others like you." He laughed, eyes alight with glee. his tone ferverent and excited. "Great! And you say some of them, they're even stronger than I am right now?"

A dull nod.

"Perfect."

She made no effort to resist as he hefted her up by the collar. She stared back at him with cold, unfeeling eyes, devoid of the sharp, witty brilliance they had possesed only seconds before, and barren of any life. "Tell me, just how badly do you want to die?"

"..." She didn't answer.

"Tell you what shinigami, lets make a deal, you and me." An idea had formed in his head, and he was on a roll now, speakin a millon words a minute. "I want Aizen dead, your side wants him dead, practically everyone's gunning for him, right?"

He didn't care when she refused to reply, he was talking to himself aloud, more than anything.

"Something tells me that you can get alot stronger than you are now, and I've got the feeling your soul reaper buddies think you're dead, am I right?" She blinked hazily, but her hand tightened into a fist and that was the only confirmation he needed.

"Doesn't that bother you? You're the only one they left behind," Slowly but surely, he continued spinning his sinister web, and it wasn't long before Yoruichi was caught in his verbal snare."And they've probably already forgotten about you. I'm sure Hat n' Clogs couldn't care less about you by now, judging from your reaction."

Oh yes, it was was fury in her eyes, righteous indignation, loneliness, and the bitter sting of betrayal, had driven her over the edge. "Have they ever fought for you? Have they ever done anything for you? Name one, and I'll believe you."

Honestly she couldn't. She'd mostly done things for them, and unless you counted her rooming with Kisuke, then....

"I want you to deliver a message to the soul society," His words pierced through the dull fog of her mind, "Delcaring you allegiance to Aizen, but in truth, you'll be helping me to overthrow him. And once you do, if you still want revenge, or if you still want to die-

He dropped her to her knees, and she felt herself begin to grow faint.

"Then we'll talk."

He crouched down, and held Zangetsu before her.

"Do we have a deal? You're free to come and go as you wish."

She nodded, void of anything else.

"Brace yourself."

Before she could ask why, her body screamed in pain.

There was a wet ripping sound, then she felt the voice of her hollow abruptly die, protesting against this most cruel treatment. Something began to grown on the left side of her cheek, and her cat ears twitched in annoyance. She could feel her reiatsu changing, but to what, she had no idea.

Her mind, she could feel her memories slipping away through her fingertips. She was changing being altered, her views, opinions, and outlook on life, they were all being horribly skewed and distorted, twisted and pervaded.

Fuzzily, she realized this might've be a bad idea, but by then the hole had already appeared in her stomach. She felt a scream rip past her lips as her body changed, yet kept its slim, voluptuos build.

"A vasto lorde hollow already?" Ichigo muttered to himself in amusement. "Che, I'm almost glad I let you live."

His hand at her face ripped the mask away before it could fully grow.

"I was right to have Szayel make me a spare Hogyoku. Its a shame it only has one use though...

An explosion of pinkish purple light blinded him, but when the plume of smoke and flame died, he smirked, dropping a cracked orb to the ground, and it splintered upon contact.

"How does it feel?" He asked her.

"Good." She hissed, stretching and rising to her feet, a feral gleam in her now slitted yellow eyes.

"Who do you serve?"

"You of course." She replie, with a glint in her eyes.

Apparently, she had retained her personality.

Good.

He scratched her under the chin, and she purred like a content kitten, eyes closing in pure bliss, and he noted with small amusement that she had lost the cat's tail she had been granted during bankai.

"Good girl."

He headed towards the stairs, and the new arrancar easily kept pace with him, and walking slightly ahead.

"We are we going?"

"You," He cast her a mild glare as he took the lead again. "Are delivering that message....He blushed, noticing that because of her transformation....

Well, she was naked!

"But get some clothes on first!"

"Party pooper." She pouted, crossing both arms over her ample bosom, and giving him an innocent look. "Fabric is too constraining, so I don't want to wear clothes.... A sly smile crept up her tan face, and she ran a hand up and down his bare chet. "But...I don't suppose you have a spare shirt I could wear-

"Hell no!" He sputtered, waving both hands rapidly. "Damnit Yoruichi, just find something to wear!"

She sighed, "See? Underneath all that bravado, you're still just a kid."

Before he could respond, she all but vanished in a flash of sonido.

"What have I done?" He muttered to himself, realizing he'd probably done himself more harm than good in not killing her. But she was a powerful shinigami nonetheless, and he could easily see that she was up there in terms of reiatsu, even if she'd just become an arrancar.

Turning to the task at hand, Ichigo flung out his senses, searching for Halibel, rather than choosing to meet back up with his fraccion.

And could barely even feel her spiritual pressure, and it was getting faint with every passing second.

Brown eyes widened, then narrowed.

"What-

Then he remembered it.

"Kuso! The poison!"

--

And that was how Ichigo Kurosaki burst through the roof, landed on the ground, and noticed the giant dome that blanketed half of the city. Currently, he was now ignoring both Loly and Menoly fawning over him. With a quick glance back to Luppi and the others, he was relieved to see they were all no worse for the wear.

"You're looking for Halibel-sama, aren't you?" Apache ventured.

"Hmm?" He stared at her intently. "You know where she is?"

Sun-Sun pointed towards the dome.

"She's been brought to the hospital-

And Ichigo was gone, not waiting or wanting to hear an explanation....

**DUN-DUN-DUN! And Yoruichi turns evil! Get ready for a cute IchigoxHalibel scene in the next chapter: Toxic! Plus some more explanation on how Yoruichi became a vizard!**


	25. Touch

"You're looking for Halibel-sama, aren't you?" Apache ventured.

"Hmm?" He stared at her intently. "You know where she is?"

Sun-Sun pointed towards the dome.

"She's been brought to the hospital-

And Ichigo was gone, not waiting nor _wanting_ to hear an explanation....

**--**

Which is why he was rather surprised when he suddenly went blind.

"Yow!" He yelped, leaping back out of Suzumushi's dark domain, a startled look in his eyes, and cold sweat dripping down his face with each ragged breath that accpompanied the rise and fall of his chest. "What the hell was that?!"

Curious, he stepped back inside the abyss, and received the same reaction.

The moment he'd entered, he lost all sense of sight, smell, taste and he couldn't hear a damn thing! And to make matters worse, now that he'd actually stepped foot inside the expansive dome, he couldn't sense any spiritual pressure at all!

Opening his mouth to scream, he also found that he had gone mute.

Taking a long step backwards, all the basic sensations rushed back at him, causing his mind to spin for a brief moment or two. Opening his eyes, those brown orbs sparked with indignant fury. "TOUSEN!" He roared loudly, knowing the righteous man could hear him, and if he didn't he'd cut his way through the damn thing. "OPEN UP!"

When no response was forthcoming, Ichigo snarled, and pointed one finger at the dome.

"Are you sure about that?"

Eyes widening, Ichigo redirected the blast skyward, where it exploded harmlessly into the night, lighting the sky an eerie crimson, much like a fireworks display. Furious

"Tousen!" He all but snarled, whipping his gaze around to find the blind man standing not too far from him. "What the hell was that about, huh?! I might've hit the hospital!" He muttered, scowling darkly.

"Come." The shinigami beckoned, the dome returning to the ring on Suzumushi. "She's on the top floor."

--

He silently approached the bed where Halibel lay, his footsteps heavy and weary, laden with exhaustion. Granted, he'd been too impatient to take the elevator, and it _was_ his own fault for breaking through the floor to get here, but...

To see Halibel in one piece....

Somehow made it more than worth it.

She looked so peaceful, so normal, in her gigai, that when he reached out to touch her wrist, he was almost _surprised_ to feel a faint pulse-

Then something else, and he didn't even have to look to recgognize Zangetsu's prescence looming behind him.

_Ichigo._

"What?"

_How do you plan on extracting the poison from her?_

"Well...

_Are you sure you want her to live?_

"Of course!" Came the incredulous reply, as he whirled to face the spirit. "What kind of question is that?!"

_Then take a look at the future. This, will occur should she survive._

All at once, the cloak swarmed him, blotting out the light.

"Wait, wha-

All at once, Ichigo was somewhere else.

Staring at himself.

Slowly, the other Ichigo rose from the chair, his eyes blazing furiously, as a massive fireball consumed Mila-Rose, Sun-Sun, and Apache.

_Karakura?_

The same light seemed to gleam in that one's eyes, a low growl rising from the back of his throat as he watched them fall. Drawing his zanpaktou, he shot past what looked like an old man, snatched the three of them out of the air, and taking the brunt of another flame to his back.

Wincing, and resistng the urge to scream in pain, he then set each of them down on the rooftop of a nearby building. To his horrified dismay, Mila-Rose was no longer breathing, and neither was Sun-Sun, as they had been severely burned, both about . A quick check of them both confirmed his worst fears, for they breathed no more, nor could he feel their spiritual pressure. Apache, whom he'd managed to draw away from the fire, drew short, labored breaths, and Ichigo put all his focus into saving her life.

"Apache!"

Her eyes flickered briefly, and opened.

"I-chi-go...She gasped in a long, drawn out breath. "S-Sorry...

"Thank kami." He muttered, placing both hands across her neck, and pouring his reaitsu into her. The burn wounds began to glow green, and with agonizing slowness, they started to close, but not fast enough, for Apache's eyes were sliding just again."S-Sorry... Resisting the urge to panic, Ichigo poured more reaitsu into his fraccion, determined to stave off death, no matter the cost to himself. "H-Hey! Don't fall asleep! Just stay awake for a little while longer, then you can rest, okay?"

But a powerful reaitsu coated her wounds, slowing the healing, and he could feel her fading beneath his finger tips. No matter how hard he tried, he had to fight for every single inch of skin to heal, and then again, and again, he had to divert his attention from healing, and beg Apache to hold on, just a little longer.

"Apache! Apache! C'mon damnit! Stay with me!"

But it was no use.

She reached a trembling hand up to his face, and the tears started to spill out.

"I g-guess you win our little bet...huh?"

"Screw the bet! Don't you _dare_ die on me, you hear?!"

_Eh? What bet?_

Slowly, he placed a hand over her eyes, closing them."Apache, Sun-Sun, Mila-Rose...You fought well." Quietly, his gaze traveled to the three of them, and he allowed the tears to fall, sobbing loudly, in a rare display of humanity.

"Now...

"Old man, I hope you have a death wish. Nobody kills thos precious to me, and lives to tell!" Then his eyes traveled to a short woman in a haori, a captain obviously and a large, chunky man, her lieutenant by the looks of it, narrowing to dangerous yellow slits as the black rushed across his sclera. "And as for the two of _you_...

He blurred across the sky, and seized Soi fon by the arm, before the final blow could be delivered. Needless to say, the captain of squad two was more than surprised by his sudden, not to mention violent action. Ichigo's grip was bonecrushing, his malice palpable as he stared her in the eye.

"Enough. How about you deal with me, shinigami? Unless... He gripped her harder, and tensed his muscles. "You'd rather gang up on...Ggio?!" Howling, he whipped her around and into Omaeda, causing both to crash, quite comically through a nearby building, with the captain of course using her subordinate as a cushion to soften the impact.

"Ggio."

"Hai!" She nervously snapped to attention, gulping nervously. Even in her resurrecion form, Ichigo still towered over her, not just in height and size, but in pure spiritual pressure. The depth and magnitude was different than before. Previously, it lacked focus, and seemed to spray about wildly, scorching whoever came too close. Now, it was calm, cool and it had that focus, a hate which was directed outwards at all the present shinigami.

"Take ten steps back."

"B-But-

"Do you understand me?" He asked coldly, glaring at her. "Your fight is _over. _Now its my turn."

"Y-Yes sir!" She nodded, and scampered back ten steps. When she had done so, she resealed her zanpaktou, and Ichigo felt some relief that all of her wounds healed themselves as a result. "Withdrawing from battle as ordered!" She confirmed this and sat down on the nearest rooftop.

Ichigo started to tremble, unable to watch what was taking place before his eyes.

"You'll all pay. In kami's name, I swear...

With a ripping sound, he pulled Zangetsu out of the throne, and held it aloft.

"YOU'LL PAY!"

And then the vision ended, and Ichigo found himself back in the hospital.

Sweat beaded down his brow, coming with heavy, ragged gasps of air.

_Well? Do you really wish to risk the lives of your subordinates?_

Shuddering, the arrancar shook his head rapidly, hoping to clear the grisly image from his mind.

"S-Screw the future! I...I won't let that happen!"

_Then remove the poison from her._

"How am I supposed to do...

His face turned a burning red at the realization..

"I-I can't do that! She'll kill me!"

_Then let her die._

He shook his head, gulped nervously. "N-No damnit! I won't let anyone die, you hear me?!"

A wry smile pulled at Zangetsu's face.

_You needn't shout. But I suggest you hurry, before the toxins reach her heart._

Leaning forward, the espada gripped the rail of the bed with one hand.

Slowly, he brought his face to hers, hesitated for a moment...

Tenderly, oh so tenderly, Ichigo brought his lips to her neck.

He felt some mild resistance from her hierro at first, but then his canine teeth pierced the musculature of her neck. As first nothing happened, but when he began to suck at her blood,His vision swooned. A fuzziness entered his mind, along with a foul, acidic afteraste,forcing him to squeeze shut his eyes as he inhaled deeply, ignoring the searing pain whilst he withdrew the poison.

Slowly but surely, it was working.

After five minutes, it was done, and the strawberry vomitted in the sink, trying to cleanse his own immunse system of the gas, which he seemed to have built up an immunity to. But that didn't make the near constant retching any more pleasant, as the taste of blood soon joined the purple liquid he was expunging from his system. After gagging for what he felt like was the fifteenth time, Ichigo returned to the bedside.

_Oh, so now you're going to let her bleed to death?_

"Will you shut _up?!"_

Grumbling to himself, Ichigo ripped off his right sleeve, and applied it, along with pressure, to her neck, until at last the bleeding stopped.

_It seems you succeeded._

"Huh?" Ichigo turned to check on Halibel, but Zangetsu had already vanished.

"Ichigo." She stared up at him, coughing afterwards. "I didn't ask you to save me."

"H-Hey!" Relief rushed through him as he took a seat beside the bed, ignoring her previous comment. "You're alright!"

"Yes, and I'm thirsty. Get me some water."

_'Well excuuuuuuuse me!'_

Doing so, he reached behind her neck, tipped her head up, and allowed the blond to take a long, slow sip from the glass. She took her time not protesting as he brought the cup to her lips, nor insisting that she could do it herself.

Instead, she drained it in one gulp.

"Feeling better?" He asked at last, not sure what else to say.

She nodded as he set the glass aside. "But now I owe you." A frown marred her face as she sat up, revealing herself to be clad in only a hospital gown, and it was a size too big, even for one as well endowed as she. "That, is a problem."

"Take it easy, you don't owe me any-

Abruptly she had him by the collar.

"This should settle my debt."

Ichigo didn't even have time to blink.

Her lips were warm, soft, moist, yet salty, like seawater, he thought to himself, inhaling deeply as her mouth met his, sending a cascade of fireworks off inside his skull. Before he could even hope to respond, she'd pulled him into the bed with ease, hands roaming over every inch of his chest, before locking firmly around his neck.

By the time he realized the position they both were in, he'd already moved to smother her lips with his own, slowly deliberately pushing her back against the bed, eyes sliding shut, as did her own. Though he was clearly hesitant in his kisses, afraid to harm her already banged up body, his hands were another matter entirely, flitting over her body slowly, tracing her breasts, drifting across her stomach, his touch electrifying, even through the fabric.

This had gone far beyond repaying a debt.

But when he made the mistake of lowering his hands, triying to stray under the hem of her hospital gown-

Her arms, still encircled about his neck slid down his back, her hands still tracing his shoulder blades in slow circles...

Stopped, and dug in.

Hard.

_'Okay, OW!"_

He could feel the sharp edges of her fingernails, digging into his skin, through his hierro, leaving him deep bloody gashes. Holding him where he lay, they crisscrossed across his lower back and shoulders, as she made it very, _very_ clear that she didn't appreciate being touched anywhere below her hips, not without permission.

Gasping, he pulled away.

"I...shouldn'tve done that." He winced, feeling the wounds heal as they broke lip contact, but regeneration or not, the pain was practically mind numbing. He _knew_ she could cut him now, and that'd been with only her bare hands. He might have the edge in strength, but Halibel was the one person in all of Las Noches that he did NOT want to piss off anymore than he already had. "Sorry."

"_Never_, do that again, Kurosaki." Halibel scowled darkly at him, emerald eyes becoming fierce, narrowed slits. "If you _ever_ touch me below the hips, without my permission, I will kill you on the spot, do you understand?" He nodded, "Yeah yeah, sure, fine, got it." rubbing at his back painfully, so much focused on it, that her next words nearly made him leap clear out of the bed altogether.

"Therefore...I give you permission tonight, so long as you never speak a word of it to anyone."

"Oi!" He sqwuaked in surprise, unable to believe that Halibel had basically just given him permission to screw her, yet neither did he make any move to pull away from his fellow espada. Disbelief clouded his face. "Where the hell is this coming from, huh?! Did that poison melt your brain or something?!"

"Interesting." She peered at him intently, "You seemed quite satisfied a moment ago, and yet now, you hesitate?" Leaning forward slightly, she whispered into his ear:"What kind of king is that, Ichigo? I think you know the answer." Her tone unchanging, but still her words struck home.

"Well aren't you high and mighty." He muttered to himself, stealing a quick glance at her, then looking away. "But where exactly is this coming from? I think you've already repaid me in full so-

"I won't follow a cowardly king, Ichigo." Halibel frowned, drawing herself away from him, and a part of him ached for the feel of her toned body pressed against his once more. "Much less an indecisive one. Now make up your mind. Do you, or do you not?"

"Damn you to hell." He muttered, leaning forward. "You're a manipulative bitch, you know that?"

"Perhaps."

Entangling one hand in his strawberry blond hair, Halibel pulled him forward and into her. Demonstrating her flexibility, the tercera coiled her left leg about him whilst she did so, their lips meeting slowly, softly, commencing a sinous dance of the tongues within their mouth' felt her nails dig into his skin with each new moan that vibrated through their mouths.

Ichigo shuddered as she pressed herself flush against him, already bringing one hand down to caress her outer thigh. Gone was rational thought now, replaced by open lust, that which had been contained for far too long. Halibel was already working her fingers underneath the fabric of his shirt, playing with it for a moment, forcing them to break the kiss, before discarding the faded tee to the side, leaving him bare chested, and exposing a host of scars littered about his upper body.

No sooner had his head left the collar of the shirt, then their lip's were inseperably bound once more. Now the kiss as anything but soft and smooth, as Ichigo forcibly pinned Halibel against the bed, and crushed his lips against hers, now bringing his hands up from around her waist, higher...

He was rewarded with a soft moan as he played with her breasts, squeezing the twin, perfectly rounded mounds together, gently. But this was not enough to satisfy him, and apparently, she was neither entirely pleased by it either. Breaking apart for air, he reached forward, yet hesitated for a moment. With a groan born both of frustration and impatience, Halibel helped him get gown over her head, before the inhibition could take over again.

Instinctively, he tried to close his eyes look away and stop...

Yet his body refused to respond, and she made use of this opportunity to yank down the ragged jeans he'd hastily thrown on, taking his boxers with them in one smooth movement. Tossing the last article of clothing aside, Halibel paused, brought a hand to the segunda's burning red face, and caressed his cheek softly.

"Open your eyes, Ichigo."

Squinting at first, he did so, but before he could get more than a blurry image of her, the blond pulled him forward, placing her lips softly against his, the message calm, cool, and perfectly clear as she moved her mouth across his own.

Slow down.

Finally, he ceased his resistance, and allowed her to pull him forward and into her.

Both gasped aloud, and Ichigo took some small satisfaction that she was louder than he.

Warm, soft, smooth, these were the first things to enter his mind as he felt her against him, her hardened, erect nipples poking stiffly into the musculature of his chest. Instincitvely, he brought his hands to her chest, and in response, Halibel locked both legs firmly around his back, pulling the former shinigami deeper into her. Wincing, she placed a series of delicate kisses from his neck, up to his jawline, then at last, met his mouth.

"Faster." She gasped, between kisses, her words turning into an insistent whine midway through. "Faster...Ichigo...

Taking the hint, Ichigo brought both hands away from her proud cleavage, and held her by the hips,

When he felt he tug on him again, he quickened his pace and started thrusting with more force. As they were bumping hips, their hands and lips wondered across each other bodies. The silence in the room was only broken by her soft moans and Ichigo's rare grunts. Their pace sped up the longer they were in their embrace, their breathing becoming labored and shorter.

Ichigo could feel the walls around him tighten and flutter and it didn't take an expert to see that Halibel was nearing her limit. He himself was only holding back by sheer will for the warmth off her core was overwhelming. Her gasps for air were becoming louder and her nails were breaking his skin, drawing blood slightly, only for the flesh itself to close and heal seconds later. Then suddenly, all at once, Halibel's back arched, her head snapped back as her mouth opened and she uttered a long, heavenly sigh.

Ichigo followed soon after, finally collapsing atop her breathing heavily, before rolling off to side, bringing his forearm to rest on his forehead. Both he and Halibel were covered in a fine sheen of sweat, but surprisingly, his fellow espada turned to her side, snuggled into Ichigo, and rested her head on his heaving well toned chest. Blinking in surprise, all he could do was gently kiss the top of her head, pull the sheet over them, and utter one word, his voice ragged:

"Wow."

"Not a word." She muttered, and he looked down to hear the rest of it, whilst she looked up at him. "I don't want you to say a word of this to anyone, do you understand me, Ichigo? I don't want anyone to hear about this."

He nodded, too tired for words, but smiling to himself as she hugged him tightly, the faint hint of a smile playing across her own lips as well. Something like this was bound to be noticed though, and there was no telling how they'd react once morning came.

_"Yeah. My lips are sealed."_

She gave his hand a brief squeeze.

"Good."

**Review please!**


	26. Sol Dia

**I'm back! (Notices the angry mob, pitchforks, and torches) Sorry! I HAD to let the manga get ahead of me, and now, NOW I have even more ideas and plans to work with. Therefore, this story shall continue regularly!**

**Sol Dia**

"Well well, what do we have here?"

An overly-sarcastic smirk shined out from beneath smooth bangs, from a face hidden in a dark cowl. Her cloak, embroidered with the crest of the Shihoin clan, fluttered in the breeze as she came to a stop. She stood before them, zanpakuto tucked into the belt of her sash as she stopped in front of the captains.

Clearly, they had not been expecting an intruder, much less Yoruichi, her body splattered with the blood of dead shinigami. They'd received reports of an intruder, moments ago, and now, it would that the attacker was none other than...

"Yoruichi," Unohana said, her typically mellifluous voice tinged with malice as the pungent odor of blood wafted in. "Why have you come here?" Several of the lieutenants, and even some captains in the room began to shift their eyes nervously. An angry Unohana Retsu was not a pleasant sight.

The Shihoin's smile widened as she addressed her; if she was shaken by the menacing tones in her voice, Yoruichi Shihoin didn't show it in the least.

"I just wanted to swing by and give a warning," She said, her smile never faltering. "Captains'."

"It would be wise," Mayuri Kurotsuchi captain of the twelfth division, spoke up from the far end of the room, "not to waste our time with mockery."

"Of course not," Yoruichi half yawned without taking her eyes off of head captain Yamamoto in front of her. "Time is one thing we all are short on, it would seem."

"Why have you come here, Yoruichi?" Unohana's voice was still calm, but the irritation was beginning to become more prevalent in it as she repeated her initial question. "Surely you didn't stop by just to say hello?"

"Well," the Goddess of Flash said, her smile growing impossibly wider. "I'm gonna be blunt with you: I've switched sides, see? I seem to have a problem with being abandoned. So...I was wondering if good ol' Soul Society wouldn't mind just handing in the towel so we can end this whole thing?"

Everyone froze. Stunned, shocked, amazed, horrified, and disgusted. Even these words could not hope to describe the swell of emotions that ripped through the meeting room. The realization that they'd been betrayed, was simply too much to understand or comprehend.

"_Bullshit." _Soi Fon hissed in front of her, causing Yoruichi to chuckle as she recognized her former lieutenant. "What makes you think we'll agree to such a ludicrous request?" She'd always been pleasantly brazen with her opinions; it was one of the things Yoruichi found most amusing about her.

"My my, you certainly have become quite the _bitch_since I left, haven't you?" Yoruichi's unexpected comment struck deep, and the captain quivered with rage at the remark. Had not Ukitake been present to clamp a hand down upon her shoulder, the captain, she'd mostly likely have flown at the Shihoin right then and there. The rest of the room began to stir in displeasure as well. Yoruichi glanced briefly across the aisle at third division captain Kyoraku, smirked, then to the rest of those assembled, noted that captain Kuchiki was conspicously absent.

"Well?"

"You would ask us to submit, even after what you have done?" Yamamoto could no longer mask his exasperation from the ryoka. "_You_, who have caused widespreasd chaos throughout the Seireitei in the past, and now come to us with this ultimatum? Have you no sense?"

"Perhaps a month was still too short a time to mend some wounds," Yoruichi replied without skipping a beat, her grin still peeking out from under the hood. She chuckled, shaking her head slowly. "But let me assure you, I _will_ demonstrate my new loyalties when next we meet.

"Is that a threat?" Soi fon barked at her mentor.

_"A warning."_Yoruichi replied coldly, releasing a glimmer of spiritual pressure, stunning everyone in the room. Immense was an understatement. This, this was an ocean of reiatsu, a looming tidal wave, waiting to crash down upon them. "So remember," With a flourish of her cape, she turned to go. "When winter comes, you...all of you will die."

"After her!" Soi fon commanded, but the newborn arrancar smirked, slamming her fist into the ground, even as ten members of the stealth force leapt from the shadows. Alas, the poor souls never stood a chance, for the ryoka spoke but two words.

"Hado #33: Soukatsui."

A flash of blindingly bright azure flame engulfed the men, consuming them strangling their screams. Many of the captains wore a surprised look on their faces, but not at the termination of a few Onmistkido members, but rather, the hulking form of Sajin Komamamura Squad seven's captain, looming over the ryoka, who now stepped aside as a blade crashed into the spot she'd occupied mere moments before, kicking up smoke and dust from the impact.

Too late, Yoruichi blurred out of sight in the thick haze, catching an unprepared Soifon by the shoulder, then wrapping one arm tightly about the smaller girl's neck, effectively holding her in place.

"You...what are you planning?" Soifon hissed, but Yoruichi only grinned, tightening her grip further on her unwilling hostage, forcing her body against her own until the girl could struggle no more lest her neck be broken.

"You'll find out soon enough." She replied at length. "After all, you wanted to come with me last time, didn't you?" The captain's mouth worked wordlessly, a surge of hatred and elation welling up insider her as one, threatening to strangle her, leaving her helpless.

"I thought so." Yoruichi chuckled.

And with a flicker of shunpo, she vanished, dragging the captive Shaolin with her.

--

_(Meanwhile)_

It was later the next morning that Ichigo realized how _fascinating_ waking up could be. Or so one would think if they saw the intensity with which he focused his gaze on the pillow he was glaring into. He even had a red face from the effort he was putting into it.

You see, when Ichigo finally awoke the next morning, he had been rather surprised to see...

That Halibel _hadn't_ pulled a disappearing act, something she was infamous for having done in the past. Far from it, she was still sound asleep when he woke, and still very much nude, as was he, the sheets draped over her body just enough to hide everything, but enough to accentuate all her...assets as well.

Oh yes, he remembered all too well the events of last night all too clearly, but still, waking up the next morning to find a beautiful, drop dead sexy, not to mention gorgeous and _naked_, woman in your bed would be enough to startle anyone, be he human or hollow.

At that very moment, her eyes fluttered open, and he started back, as her eyes narrowed.

"Hmm?" She curled an arm about his neck, preventing him from pulling away. "Is something the matter...Kurosaki?"

"Erm...

Strangely enough he found himself at a loss for words.

With a small whimper, she pressed herself flush against him. "Here," allowing her fellow espada to explore every single inch of her, from cupping her generous bosom and fondling stiff nipples, down to squeezing her firm ass and rubbing the warm inner recesses of her thighs, eliciting a low throaty moan passing by her lips as he finished, leaving her _begging_ for more.

Her hands were just as explorative, to say the least, as they sank down amongst the sheets hours later, just as the sun began to peek over the horizon..

"Not a word." She panted again, and he looked down to hear the rest of it, whilst she looked up at him. "I don't want you to say a word of this to anyone, do you understand me, Ichigo? No one must hear of this."

He nodded, too tired to mince words, but smiling to himself as she hugged him tightly, the faint hint of a smile playing across her own lips as well. Something like this was bound to be noticed though, and there was no telling how the other fraccion and espada, let alone Aizen, would react once the news got out.

Halibel rose her head up from his chest and kissed him before she got up from the bed to find her clothes. _She even walks around the room differently than other women, _he thought, recalling the last time, out of sheer boredom, he'd sat down to talk with Loly and Menoly; once he'd dismissed them, they'd scuttled around avoiding his gaze as he left. Halibel simply strode around the room, bending over to retrieve articles of clothing as she discovered them, slowly gathering her uniform. _She has nothing to be shy about anyway, _he thought as she had bent over to pick up the black underwear he had seen through her uniform for the first time earlier that day.

She shot a look at him as he watched her, a small, amused gleam in her eyes as she put her clothes on. When she was fully dressed, she came over to him and kissed him on the neck, biting down sharply as she did so, eliciting a sharp gasp of pain from the _segunda _who violently started out of bet with a yelp.

"Now get up." She laughed softly, tossing him his clothes.

--

"Teme!"

Grimmjow flung Nnoitra back down, the khaki-clad warrior's body slamming into the concrete below. The quinto espada coughed up a thick wad of blood as he bounced off the concrete, his eyes squeezing shut in agony before he fell back down to the sidewalk. He struggled to stand, the pain of a broken rib shooting throughout his body while he forced himself back to his feet.

"The hell was that for?!"

"For ruining our trip." The sexta espada spat angrily, stuffing a thick parka jacket over into his bag, both of which were ridiculously out of place for the thick, humid air of Japan. "Thanks to you, now we gotta pack our bags and go somewhere else tomorrow!"

"Where?" Nnoitra growled, not liking the sound of it.

"Dumbass!" Grimmjow swore and showed him the thick jacket once more. "Wheredya think?!"

--

That afternoon, Ichigo also realized just how _fascinating_ setting up a beach umbrella could be. Or so one would think if they saw the intensity with which he focused his gaze on the pole he was driving into the sand. He even had a red face from the effort he was putting into it.

As most people know, sand isn't very hard, and hence it isn't very hard to stick a beach umbrella into it. Which means it _really _shouldn't take much effort to set up said umbrella, or very much concentration for that matter. Which suggests that there might be another reason for Ichigo focusing so much of his attention on such a simple task, as well as his red face.

The last time Ichigo had been at the beach had been with his family, though the memory was hazy and filled with holes by this time. That had been a few years ago by now. So Ichigo by any means wouldn't have ever considered himself much of a 'beach bum'. As it turned out he was quite ignorant of what exactly happened at a beach. Of course he was well aware of the basics: sun, sand, water and bikinis.

The problem was that the _latter _of that list hadn't quite registered in his mind until they were there, in broad daylight with the public. Relatively seen Ichigo was quite inexperienced when it came to the female body, most of his experience came from his forced bout of intimacy with Yoshi, (With which he had been ridicuosly clumsy, and he hadn't really stared that much) and that was about it, not including the fierce go around he'd had with Halibel last night.

The girls had worn T-shirts on the way to the beach. Which was why the moment they got to the beach, and he saw other women there wearing swimsuits ranging from relatively modest one piece suits to skimpy bikini's that would put most Idols to shame, was when he realized this trip was going to be...

Awkward.

He really should have figured that seeing his female comrades, whom he saw on a regular basis, and never saw wearing anything less than their arrancar uniforms, in swimsuits just might be something he wasn't necessarily prepared for. Ichigo was by no means a pervert, especially if compared to someone like Nnoitra, who was having a field day, by the way. But he was still a teenager, no matter how repressed his sex drive might be.

Which is what brings us to Ichigo's current study of the beach umbrella. He was hoping that nobody would notice his red face. At the very least he was thankful that only Sun-Sun and Ggio were wearing bikinis. It didn't make it any easier, but the less he stressed his system with for now, the better. Halibel had been the last of the girls to take off the t-shirt she wore, which was a bright yellow, splashed with a blue wave emblem on the front. She was wearing over her swimsuit, by which point Ichigo was already feeling flustered. For some reason he couldn't explain he'd found he was slightly _disappointed_ when it turned out that she was wearing a one piece suit.

That, and she _still_ had a scarf wrapped around her face.

It pissed him off that all his fraccion, and Halibel, well maybe she had the right to, kept messing with his mind like this. What pissed him off even more was that now Neliel, and even Yoshi, had they been here, and he remembered with a pang of regret that they could _not_be here, would have accused him of being a pervert, and it would be true. Recently he found himself growing more and more curious. He only prayed that he would never be as bad as Nnoitra. He'd kill himself, in espada form, if that ever happened.

Ichigo shuddered at the thought of ever being like Nnoitra, and plopped himself down on his towel, determined to take a nap, or something. Anything to get his mind back where it belonged.

Lillenette and Ggio were building a sand castle, while a water fight had broken out between the others. Ichigo raised an eyebrow when he saw Stark throw Tesla further out into the water. He got some pretty good distance out of him too. When he later asked Stark about it, his answer was, "He asked for it." Ichigo, thinking it unusual of Stark, lazy bugger that he was, to be annoyed enough by anyone to do anything about it, further questioned the primera about it. To which Stark replied, "No, he really asked me to throw him out there. I think he hit the water a little hard though."

His gaze drifted back to Ggio and Lillenette and their sand castle. Ggio was wearing a pink one piece swimsuit, which while not very revealing at all, was still the most revealing thing he had ever seen this girl that he'd gotten to know a little better over the past few days, wear. He felt the blush coming back and shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking about one of his fraccion like that, especially not one that had done so much for him already.

"Hey!" Someone suddenly shouted enthusiastically! "Whatcha doin?"

"Gah!" He yelped, whirling about, realizing he had been caught in the act of staring! Frantically, he waved both hands before his face in an attempt to shield himself! "I didn't do it I _swear_! I wasn't even looking!"

"Looking at what?" Chirped the voice again.

He lowered his hands to see a girl with short brunette hair was staring at him, her doe brown eyes reflecting surprise, confusion and most of all, shock, as the met his own. She was a petite thing he noted, except when it came to her chest, which looked to be about a C cup-

And she was wearing a black bikini which seemed to fit her _just_ right.

He averted his eyes before he could get a nosebleed.

_'Gah! I AM turning into a pervert!'_

"Ichigo?" The girl asked him again, and he blinked. "You _are _Ichigo, right?"

"Eh?" He replied, holding a hand over his eyes, trying to block out both the sun and this accursed sight as she leaned forward slightly, the twin glorious mounds of her chest bouncing slightly from the motion. "Wait a sec, who're you and how do ya know my name?!"

She giggled.

"The girl from the shop, remember?"

When he blinked, she seemed slightly dissapointed.

"Baka no teme! It's me, Haruhi!"

He peered up at her from where he sat, then at last seemed to recognize her face. She looked so different without the contacts and the wig, and she _must've_ been wearing a wig before, because her hair was longer now then it was then, and dye didn't come out that easy.

"Oh, the anime salesgirl from before!"

She frowned.

"When you say it like that it sounds perverted."

Brushing himself off, he stood back up, noting that she only came up to his chest. "Oi, what're you doing here anyways? Shouldn't you be at the expo or somethin?" A light blush tinged her cheeks pink as she looked up at him, the words that came so easily a second ago, now suddenly sticking in her throat.

"W-What, can't a girl go to the beach and enjoy herself?" A stiff shrug as she tried to steady herself, "Besides, I've already sold all my goods, so I'm heading back to the mainland tomorrow."

"Same here." He sighed, not noticing the look of confusion on her face. "We're heading going skiing for a few days after this." Haruhi stared up at him with a puzzled expression, her eyes narrowed in slight confusion.

"Hey...where are you from anyways?"

Ichigo stiffened, realizing he had let himself slip.

"Karakura town, right?"

Brown eyes tripled, alarm bells blaring in his head.

_'Shinigami!'_

But... that wasn't it.

Her spirit energy was high, yes, but she didn't have that red spirit ribbon all soul reapers had. Silently, he thanked Ishida for actually showing him that little trick.

"Ichigo-sama, look!" Called Ggio, pointing at the sand castle she and Sun-Sun had made. "We made it all by ourselves...She trailed off, then giggled, an unusual action for her at least. "Well....Halibel-Sama helped too!" It was an ornate castle, crafted with great detail, despite it being made of only sand. Their work was well done, and the sand castle was quite large...

A wave lapped at the base of the sand castle, yet pulled away at the last second.

Reiatsu.

Someone had just used spiritual pressure to nudge the wave away.

"Looks nice, doesn't it?" A voice behind him, and he didn't even have to look to recognize its owner. Halibel stood slightly to his right, her face still hidden in the scarf, but her eyes reflected some amusement as she stared upon the sand castle. He quirked an eyebrow, and she shrugged nonchalantly.

She brushed past him then, her hand brushing against his in a way that sent shivers down his spine.

"Maybe you should go for a swim."

And that was it. Except that Ichigo _did_ go into the water afterwards. The water was cold. It felt good.

--

As Aizen watched Ichigo walk down to the water he found himself mentally smirking as an idea wormed its way into his braind. _Well, well, looks like something unexpexted occured. I might have some unexpected fun here._

He'd have to make a few arrangements first, though...

--

It was decided that they would play a game of beach volleyball. Ichigo hadn't ever really played much, but he figured that knocking a ball over a net shouldn't be too hard. He was playing on the same team as Halibel, and was able to notice that she was really good. He'd heard from Starrk that Halibel rather liked sports, but he'd never really thought much about it. She really was pretty good.

The reason that Ichigo was so busy noticing how well she played, was because he was doing his best not to notice _other_things. In fact he was so busy noticing how well she played, that he wasn't doing very well himself. Every once in a while he would be just a little too focused on Halibel's volleyball skills that he would miss the ball himself.

"Eyes on the ball Kurosaki! Eyes on the ball!" Grimmjow shouted from the other side of the net, a knowing smirk on his face. Ichigo snarled to himself and ignored his friend.

After about an hour of playing Starrk ended up spiking poor Szayel in the face, and everyone decided it was time to take a break. Szayel wasn't hurt that bad; they all just wanted to take a break after Nnoitra nearly broke the net.

Sun-Sun and Luppi hadn't been playing with the others, Sun-Sun wanted to finish her book, and Luppi was taking a break from having been in the sun most of the day.

Sun-Sun liked to keep to herself, even when she was with her friends she would be reading, half listening to the conversation and only contributing when it was important, or if she was directly addressed. She wasn't the type for small talk, or flirting for that matter. She simply did not like saying things that did not need to be said. So it was with a degree of annoyance that she noticed the two guys that were headed in her direction.

They were good looking, she admitted to herself, but she really just didn't care, (a) because they were human, and (b) Ichigo was the only one she was even remotely interested in. She was also getting a vibe, even at this distance, from the two guys that told her it really wouldn't be worth the while to listen to whatever they had to offer.

"Hey Babe. How about you put that book away and we can show you a real good time." Sun-Sun frowned slightly as her assessment of the two boys was confirmed, but otherwise showed no reaction.

"No thank you. I'm fine here." She did not look up from her book. The two guys stared at her for just a moment, before the one who had not spoken recovered enough to speak again.

"Aww, come on, you can even bring your little sister if you want." Luppi, who at first had been looking interested at two guys coming up to talk to them, and then started to look nervous when she started noticing their questionable attitudes, was suddenly very offended.

Sun-Sun's expression did not change. "I already told you that I'm not interested. And she's not my little sister."

"Come on Babe, we promise to treat you right." The first guy said.

"No."

"Listen, Babe, when we tell you to do something, then you're supposed to do it. That's how things work around here." The second guy made to grab her arm, but found _his_ arm trapped in a vice-like grip.

"We're not from around here," a voice behind them said. "And I wouldn't want to be around here right now if I were you."

Standing behind them was Ichigo, looking as if his only wish was to have an excuse to inflict pain. Normally he would have pounded first and made a memo to ask questions later, but with the levels that his strength had reached, he no longer really thought it worth the effort to waste his time beating up human punks. His killing intent was very low at that moment, but it was enough to send chills down the spine of the two guys. They decided that it was in their best interest to leave, and that Sun-Sun wasn't worth it to them. Besides there was a hot brunette just down the beach with a nice rack that would be a much better focus for their energies.

The second guy scoffed, and pulled his arm away from Ichigo. The two guys left and headed down the beach to where Apache, Ggio and Mila Rose were playing in the water. Ichigo noticed the direction in which they were headed, and the only reason that he didn't do anything was because he knew it would be too much fun to watch.

"Arigatou, Kurosaki-sama," Suns-Sun said, looking up from her book.

"Don't mention it," Ichigo said, picking up a towel and toweling his hair dry.

"They thought I…her little sister…they thought I was just a little girl." Luppi said this with a cute, indignant little pout on her face. "What the hell is wrong with them?! Do I look like a little kid to you?!" Ichigo looked at her with a kind of detached curiosity. He found himself wanting to grin, but kept his face blank. He rarely smiled, and recently he'd found himself frowning less and less. He always had a straight face, but the frown was only there when there was a real reason for it.

"I wouldn't worry what guys like that think. It's only worth caring about what those that actually mean something to you think." Sun-Sun looked up at Ichigo, noticing how his lips were almost forming a smile. She realized that this was the first time that she'd seen him where his expression didn't scare her. For reasons she couldn't understand she felt her face heating just a little as he walked over to watch Szayel build his sand castle, which had begun to take on epic proportions.

Sun-Sun looked over at the expression of her fellow fraccion, and how her gaze followed the orange hair boy. She sighed to herself and returned to her reading.

Down by the water Apache was stomping back towards their towels with Ggio in tow, and Mila Rose following behind, while casting an almost regretful glance behind them. Behind them, lying in fetal positions where the water would brush against them when the waves came in, were the two guys who had apparently thought that the chick with the short black hair was a safer bet than the freak with the orange hair who now glared at them with ill intent.

"I warned you...

--

It was later in the evening and they had just finished their dinner peacefully, which was saying something considering Ichigo and Grimmjow didn't fight for once. Tatsuki had declared that the girls were going to have a 'girls only party' in their room. And if they knew what was good for them, the guys would stay away. The meaningful glare she threw at Nnoitra said it all.

Once they were in the room, with the door closed, Mila Rose let out an appreciative whistle. "Wow, I've never seen so much eye candy in my life. Was it just me or did it seem like every hot guy in Japan decided to come to the beach today?"

"It was probably just you." Apache sighed, opening a box of poki from the pile of snacks they had brought into the room.

"Those two guys weren't too bad either, until you beat them up." Mila Rose snipped back at Apache.

"They were jerks and deserved what ever it was that she did to them." Sun-Sun interrupted, turning a page in her ever-present book. Ggio nodded emphatically from her spot next to Sun-Sun.

"Ladies," Halibel spoke suddenly, turning her gaze across all of them. "Stop bickering."

Mila Rose stared at the terecera, before shrugging. "Whatever. You know, I had no idea that Kurosaki and the other guys were so well built. Hell, even Grimmjow and Nnoitra aren't that bad."

Lillenette glanced over at Loly and Menoly, both of whom had a vague look on their faced to accompany their spreading blush. "Oi! Are you two even listening over there?" Suddenly Loly yelped and jumped, causing all the other girls to jump.

"W-What?"

Apache, who was the first to recover of the other three, shrugged again. "Hey, did anyone else notice those scars that Kurosaki has? Any idea where they came from?"

"Probably just from fights," Luppi shrugged, taking a sip of her soda. "Boys are like that."

"But what _kind_ of fights?" Apache argued insistently, refusing to let the matter drop. "He has this one on his chest that looked like it was a really large cut."

"Maybe it was from a surgery," Ggio suggested.

"Nah, it wasn't neat enough for that. It was long, and looked like someone had taken a huge knife to him. And there was another one, on his chest, it was faint, but it looked like someone had punched a hole through him."

"Erm...lets play truth or dare." Luppi suggested suddenly, not liking where this was going.

"So which one is it?" She repeated. "Truth, or Dare?"

"Okay. Mila Rose. Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

"Umm…I dare you to spin around three times while barking like a dog in your loudest voice." Luppi's dare was as peculiar as could be expected from her. Nonetheless Mila Rose completed the dare, before sitting down and choosing the next victim.

"Oi, Sun-Sun. Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Have you ever killed a shinigami?"

"No. Apache, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

An uncharacteristic grin spread across Sun-Sun's face her violet eyes traveling to the window where Ichigo and the others could be seen, sitting around a campfire, and apparently having a heated discussion about something, judging by the way Kurosaki suddenly leapt to his feet and abruptly punched Nnoitra in the jaw.

Aizen, Gin, and Kaname, those three were nowhere to be seen, so _maaaaaaybe_ they could get away with this..

"I dare you to go out there and throw water on the guys."

Apache's grin mirrored Sun-Sun, and one would almost think that she would have done it without being dared to. Tatsuki pulled the door open, and moments later they could hear Ichigo's voice.

"Eh? Why are you filling that bowl with water?" There was a pause. "No wai….AAAARRGH! WHAT THE HELL?!"

The guys each howled and bellowed in surprise, before the din abruptly subsided, and Apache's laughter could be heard as she walked away from them, leaving the group soaking wet. "Oh grow up, it's only water." The tomboyish fraccion came back into the room, her grin even wider than before. The other girls burst out laughing, except for Ggio who looked torn between smiling and a distressed expression.

"Halibel-sama, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." The espada replied immediately, not even pausing to think of the consequences. After all, what had she to fear? Aside from the matter of Ichigo, she didn't have anything to fear answering too.

Apache grinned, well aware that Halibel thought she was safe, but not for much longer.

"Do you have the hots for somebody?"

The tercera's face burst out into a red she had never before reached. Fortunately Halibel was saved by a moment of inspiration, as she realized what exactly the wording of the question required.

"Yes," she mumbled, barely audible.

"Oooh, who is it? Is it one of the guys here?" Lillenette said, excited.

Luppi rolled her eyes in exasperation, as if it wasn't obvious enough, but then again, these girls weren't really the most intuitive of arrancar anyways. "She's already been asked her question. Wait till she chooses truth again to ask her."

"Aww, now she's never going to pick truth." Lillenette complained.

"It's your turn to pick on someone, Halibel-sama." Said Apache.

**Next time: Ski trip! The espada vacation drags on!**


	27. Racing Towards Disaster

"Truth."

"Have you ever seen Gin-sama's bankai?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"I'll tell you later. Halibel-sama, Truth or Dare?"

Haliblel remembered Apache's question and how choosing truth would likely end with her being forced to reveal her feelings for one orange haired espada. There was only one natural choice.

"Dare."

Apache's grin made the _tercera_ think that maybe she should have chosen truth instead.

"I dare you…to wear your bikini to the beach tomorrow without your scarf!"

Halibel was speechless.

--

For Ichigo it was a new day, in more ways than one. Aizen had now erected a reaitsu concealing barrier around this, their private beach, which of course, he had technically 'bought' for the day, using Kyouka Suigetsu to otherwise completely baffle the owners as to why their beachfront property had suddenly 'dried up.'

With no soul reapers to interfere, most, if not all, of the espada had shed their gigai's. Since today was pretty much their last day on the beach, before they headed up to the mountains, Ichigo had decided that he wasn't going to let _anything_ keep him from enjoying his vacation. He _especially_wasn't going to let anyone realize just how things were unfolding between him and Halibel.

If word got out, that would be the biggest blow to his image since the whole shinigami mess began, and it had been taking very many blows recently. He even found himself _smiling_every once in a while. What was up with that? His resolve didn't even falter when he saw the new bikinis Apache and Luppi were wearing. Then Halibel took off the T-shirt she was wearing over her swimsuit and Ichigo knew he was a lost cause.

She was still in her gigai, something that confused him even more, because she looked amazing in it.

He knew he was staring, but the part of his brain that was supposed to care was too busy celebrating along with the perverted part of his brain. He happened to glance to his side and noticed Grimmjow staring at Halibel with a bugeyed, slackjawed expression that Ichigo hoped didn't mirror his own. He smacked the _sexta_ in the back of the head with less spirit than usual, and muttered, "Quit staring." He then decided to go for a swim.

So much for a one night stand.

--

Everyone decided to play volley ball.

_Again_.

Ichigo was chosen to be captain this time, but it was clear that he little to no interest in the game, judging by the way he kicked at the sand in annoyance. That is, until Starrk was chosen as the second captain a fact which only irked the segunda more.

Now, he was interested.

"Halibel." Starrk picked first, and Ichigo's brow twitched at that.

"Luppi." He chose.

"Nnoitra."

"Grimmjow."

Soon, everyone was set.

Ichigo, Luppi, Grimmjow, Szayel, Apache, Sun-Sun, and Mila Rose.

Starrk, Nnoitra, Tesla, Lillenette, Ichimaru, Ggio, and Halibel.

Seven on each side.

However, Nnoitra insisted that they raise the stakes. Before anyone could ask just what he'd meant by that, the _quinto_ espada slipped out of his gigai, brandished Santa Teresa, and grinned widely as he hoisted the huge zanpaktou high, a golden glow engulfing his body.

"Inori! Santa Teresa!"

"Now that's more like it!"Grimmjow grinned at this, and not wanting to be outdone, by Tesla, who had just release second, decided that he watned to get in on the action as well. Having been the first to slip out of his irritating faux body, it took him only a second to yank Pantera from its sheathe.

"Grind! Pantera!"

Ichigo frowned at this, clearly unamused by their antics.

"Attack, Tiburon." Halibel burst out of her gigai, and into her release state as well, and Luppi didn't hesitate either, much to Ichigo's dismay, everyone was getting swept up in the frenzy of the game.

"Fine." He mumbled, not wanting to be the only one not to release aside from Starrk, who muttered something about this whole thing being too troublesome for him, raked his nails across Zangetsu. "I'm in."

"Shred the world to pieces." He commanded, his skin bleaching itself white as the mask formed. "Zangetsu."

Soon enough, all the espada, with the exception of Lillenette and Stark, had gone into their resureccion forms. It was entertaining, to say the least, with each espada not unwilling to pull a few underhanded tricks to score points.

And yet, during the entire game Ichigo dropped the ball more than once because he was paying attention to Halibel more than he was to the actual _game _itself, and that fact that they were on opposing teams didn't help any. Then came the fateful moment, both Ichigo and Halibel were at the net, right in front of each other. Halibel was looking everywhere except for at Ichigo, to prevent suspicion. Ichigo tried to focus on the game, rather than be caught staring at her by any of the others, or worse by Aizen and Kaname, who sat on the sidelines, watching the game.

The ball moved in slow motion, Tesla, already towering over everyone on the beacch because of his _resureccion_, set Halibel up for a spike, and the _terecera_ jumped to swat down the ball. Ichigo jumped to intercept the ball, but because he jumped slightly _after_Halibel he found his face level with her chest. His eyes were automatically drawn, and behind the mask, he forgot how to breathe.

When he opened his eyes Ichigo found himself staring through the broken remains of his mask, laying flat on the sand, the rest of his friends gathered around him. He sat up and rubbed his aching face. "What happened?"

Halibel was blushing fiercely, and her eyes refused to meet his. She looked like she was about to panic. "Sorry, Kurosaki. I accidentally spiked you in the face. I'm really, really, really sorry." Her arms started waving for emphasis.

"Ah, don't worry about it Inoue."

"Yeah," Apache added. "It's his own fault for not paying attention. What were you thinking anyway?"

"I…had the sun in my eyes." Ichigo muttered, averting his eyes from his fraccion's all too knowing grin.

"Are you sure that's what was in your eyes, Kurosaki?" Everyone stared at a grinning Ichimaru in disbelief. "What?"

"Yeah Ichigo," Apache grinned. "I think you had your eyes on the wrong ball."

"Shut up," Ichigo muttered, and tried to stand up. He grimaced when a sharp pain shot through his ankle. The pain wasn't very severe, but he hadn't noticed it before and hadn't been expecting it.

Since his expression from the pain didn't look all that different from his normal expression, nobody else noticed the slight difference, except for Halibel, whose feminine instinct left somewhat to be desired at times, but her natural instinct was second to none.

"Kurosaki, is your leg alright?" She asked him, and everyone else noticed how he wasn't putting any pressure on his right leg.

"I'm fine," he lied. "Don't worry about it."

But as he started walking, he was betrayed by a slight limp.

"You should probably lay down and take the weight off that foot. It looks like you might have sprained your ankle when you landed." Starrk regarded Ichigo's foot with a clinical expression.

"I'm fine," Ichigo protested. "Now do we still want to play or what?"

Luppi's grin had faded slightly, but she tried not to let her face betray any emotion. She shook her head, an ironic grin on her face at Ichigo's stubbornness.

"You should listen to him Ichigo," she suggested. "He probably knows what he's talking about."

"I'm telling you I'm fine."

"I'm sorry…"

Everyone's attention switched to Halibel, whose voice was very small and quiet, and lacking its usual authoritative punch. When she looked up Ichigo flinched at the unshed tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kurosaki. If I hadn't hit you in the face…"

"Ah, no…It's alright, it really doesn't hurt…"

Halibel just shook her head and tried to hide the tears from her eyes.

"At least let us take you back where you can heal your ankle without anyone else noticing." Starr whispered to Ichigo.

Ichigo, realizing the sense in this nodded, not wanting to be the cause of further tears from his normally dispassionate comrade. Grimmjow be-grudgingly helped Starrk support Ichigo back towards the cabin.

"Halibel, could you come help us please?" Starrk asked her, making no effort to mask the invitation for her to follow after them. The blond haired espada looked up, and nodded quietly, following after the three boys.

--

Luppi watched as Ichigo, supported by Grimmjow and Starrk, left for the house, followed by Halibel. She sighed. That didn't quite go as she'd hoped. Oh well.

"You know, I feel kind of bad now," Ggio interjected, shaking the salt water off her body, her long braid swaying too and fron in the breeze. "He seemed kinda upset."

"Yeah," Apache agreed. Then she grinned. "He'll be fine though, he's tougher than that. Remember?" Her grin switched to a smirk. "Did you see? He was totally staring."

Luppi mirrored Apache's grin. "How couldn't he? They were right in his face."

"Poor Halibel-sama, she probably doesn't even realize what happened."

Szayel and Tesla, who the girls had apparently forgotten about, stood looking at the girls confused. "Do you have any idea what they are talking about?" Tesla asked the espada.

Szayel shrugged, apparently disinterested. "I have no idea. Ask them yourself."

Tesla was about to do just that, and ask the girls what they were talking about, when he noticed something further down the beach.

"Hmm? Isn't that…?"

--

They got back to the cabin and helped Ichigo lie down on his bed. Ichigo waited for a moment, then everyone watched as his ankle miracuously re-set itself to the proper position.

"Alright," Ichigo said, getting out of the bed, "I'm good, now lets get back to the game."

"It might be better if you stay here actually," Starrk suggested, noting that Ichigo's regenerative factor had already kicked in and his leg could support his weight again. "It would be strange if you were healed so soon. Better wait here until the evening, then you can tell everyone that it wasn't as bad as we thought."

"Whatever," Ichigo grumbled, lying back down on the bed. He closed his eyes and started to take a nap. "I still say I won, though." The other three espada left the bedroom and went out to the living room. Sarrk and Grimmjow went to the door, the latter pausing with the door open.

"Are you coming, Halibel?"

"Iie," She shook her head and affored the _primera_ a small smile. "I'll stay here."

Starrk shrugged, took one last glance at Ichigo, and left, shutting the door behind him.

When the other two boys had left Halibel suddenly realized that she was all alone in the cabin with Ichigo. She started to panic, not knowing what to do, when she remembered that he was taking a nap. She looked into the boys room, to find him sleeping deeply. She felt her face heat up in embarassment at what she'd done.

How could she slip up like this?

_I knew wearing this swimsuit was a bad idea._

--

Ichigo woke up much later in the day. When he looked at the clock he realized that he'd been asleep for several hours. Lamenting on the lost time, he sat up, trying to stretch the grogginess out of his body. He hadn't slept very well the last night, because he kept waking up from very bizarre dreams. They usually featured him and one or several of his fraccion in various revealing swimsuits. More often than not it was girls who served under, and more often that it was Halibel. It disturbed him to be thinking of a her like that so constantly.

_Ah, come on! Just roll with it! _The unknown voice snickered loudly inside his head, nearly startling the espad clear off his bed. _If ya wanna bang her, then just bang her! _

Ichigo froze, stiffened, and tried to find its source, but the voice slipped away as he reached out to find it. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. It wasn't right, he shouldn't be thinking of friends like that. Obviously Halibel was beautiful, gorgeoys, no scratch that, she was drop dead sexy, in more ways than one, but it wasn't right for him to be thinking of her the way she was appearing in his dreams.

Realizing that he was hungry, Ichigo decided to get something to drink from the kitchen. However, when he got to the kitchen, he saw Halibel working on some kind of snack. Using the word lightly of course. He noticed that she had put on a shirt over her bikini and sighed in relief. It wasn't that he didn't like seeing her in a bikini, the problem was that he found himself liking it _too_ _much_.

Halibel heard his sigh and turned around to face him.

"You shouldn't be walking around yet."

"Don't worry, I'm not _actually _hurt, remember?" Ichigo said, smirking at her. "What are you making?"

She smiled softly at him, and picked up the plate she had been working on.

"Lunch."

Ichigo felt his face pale, even though what was on the plate looked relatively normal. Now he just had to figure out what exactly it was, or rather, whether it was _edible_. Halibel...wasn't exactly known for her skill in culineray cuisine. What she was known for however, was her innate ability to take an enemy apart with her bare hands in 1.5 seconds.

"L-Looks good." He managed around a grimace, hoping his words sounded sincere enough. "What's it supposed to be?"

Her face fell slightly, as if it had been obvious.

"Steak." She muttered, poking at it halfheartedly with a fork.

"Tch." Ichigo couldn't help himself, and even though he hastily clamped a hand about his mouth, the small snicker still slipped out, which earned him a justifiably fierce glare, to which he only laughed harder, unable to control himself any longer, until at last, a fierce elbow to the ribs silenced him.

"Ow!" He grunted, rubbing the scorch mark on his chest. She'd really smacked him that time, and he struggled to draw in air after the impact, but his lungs refused to work.

"The sun'll be setting soon." She muttered suddenly, glancing towards the window, where the sky was stained a lovely orange/red. "It's our last day here, isn't it? Then we go to the mountains." A slight frown marred her face at the thought of being that heavly bundled up, just to accomadate proper body heat. "How irritating. It'll be cold there, and none of us packed for the weather."

"Huh." Ichigo didn't really hear her, he was too busy trying to breath after having the wind knocked out him. But at the same time, he could tell that Halibel was very displeased with the thought of leaving her natural climate and element, for higher altitudes and cold temperatures.

"You...really don't like the cold, do you?"

"Be quiet." She pouted, folding both arms across her chest, making to no move to stop him, allowing him to curl an arm about her waist, thereby pulling her body towards his. As he did this, she unfolded an arm and wrapped it about his neck, leaning herself against him.

"Just...stay here for awhile, Kurosaki."

"Yeah." He muttered, inhaling deeply of her scent, then giving a small, stressed sigh, equipped with the smart retort of:

"It's not like I got anywhere better to be."

**Next time: To the mountains! Wait...Skiing lessons?! How hard could THAT be?!**


	28. Siesta

**_I'm BACK! It's been a long time coming, but at long last this story will be seeing regular updates again, my illness permitting! Its been a LONG while since I've dusted off this ficlet, and in that time the manga has gotten farther, plotlines have been revealed, and deaths have been dealt. Rest assured, this little ficlet is going to differentiate from all of, if not most of Tite Kubo's insidious plot._**

**_This chapter is SHORT. And within good reason. I need to dust off my writing skills once more, and hopefully I can continue to better provide you all with the great and gory/fluffy goodness that is Will You Be My Queen. We'll see many reminissions and flashbacks in this chapter, with Halibel's and Ichigo's trist filled past FINALLY being revealed. The idea for this chapter (And the reason I'm finally off my duff) is thanks in part to my good friend, zetherox!_**

_"Ichigo."_

Snow drifted slowly to the ground. Everywhere it was white, not one splash of any other color in sight. Although, if you dug into a large clump of snow to the left, you would find a gray stone wall. And within that gray stone wall was a cave. And standing at the entrance of the cave, was the prettiest woman you had ever met. Moonlight radiated off of her, her dusty blond hair practically glowing. Her stark white vestments only added to this, and only her impossibly tan skin and turquoise green eyes served as a fact that she was not completely camouflaged into the snow.

_"Ichigo."_

The smooth skin of her cheek brushed against his scruffy, whiskered one. Her hair filled his nostrils with the clean scent of delight and disbelief. She hugged him fiercely, the notes of strong hard arms joining with supple firm stomach and back joining with the pure feminine softness of her chest pressed against his making a chord of perfect acceptance.

_"Ichigo."_

Her hand intertwined with his; the newly gloved digits slipping through to wrest themselves within his hair. He tested the strength of his new limbs, feeling the power ebb and flow within his reformed fingers. Strange. To bear human appearance again would suggest frailty, but nothing could be further from the truth. The ascenion to Vast Lorde had been anything but easy and the bloodied sands behind them would attest to that.

So would her lips.

_"Ichigo."_

So would the snow.

It never snowed in Hueco Muendo. _Never._ But this was not snow that fell from the sky; covered in grayish layer. Nay, though the flakes of grity grey swarmed at their feet like a colony of ants, for nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, this was not snowfall. It was _ash. _Twas ash that fell from the sky, ash which constantly framed the mouth of the cave in which two allies of the unlikeliest of sort made their home, and ash that darkened the night that would shatter their friendship forever.

She wound herself against him; burying her head against the crook of his neck. Her breath hot and rapid; deep and shallow, whilst she trailed a series of delicate kisses upon the edge of his jawline; while the ashes of their latest victims rained down from above.

The death of Barragan had brought the both of them life. The subsuquent consumption of the hollow having brought the both of them to the pinacle of evolution; the cusp of a majesty so tragic, that they had naught to take comfort in it before their exhileration crumbled around them. Adrenaline gave way to anxiety. Anxiety to anger. Anger to sorrow. And sorrow into lust.

And finally, lust into love.

"Say it," She whispered sweetly to him between their frenzied lovemaking. "Say it again, Ichigo." She gasped against him, renewing the memory of their battle; possibly their greatest and crowning achievement against one of, if not _the _most arrogant hollow in all of Hueco Muendo. He still tasted the sour tang of Barragan's soul on his lips, that old and decrepit charlatan's taste serving to sour the sweet taste of his lover's tongue for just a moment.

"Ichigo?"

He shook himself and stilled at the memory.

_His eyes lit with triumph even as the venemous maw snapped shut around him. There was a feral roar louder than the eruption of the vent below them. Hot steam and fat drops of boiling water flew past them a moment before Ichigohit. Then his mailed fist flashed. It caught Barragan above the ear. He fell. He came away with a huge chunk of his face missing, the cracks already reforming what had been lost to the devastating right hook._

_"You'll need more than that to-**URK!"**_

_Ichigo knocked him down with a viscious kick in the shin. There was a rending sound as the dislocated leg gave way. Still he stomped forward, swiping at the exposed neck of the then adjuchas But his hand went a centimeter inward; then it met a cast iron wall of hardened resistance._

_The great white blade shattered naught but a moment later._

_He had barely stopped the slash before fingers dug into his right elbow, hitting the pressure point and enervating his arm. A hand grabbed his hair and smacked his face against the floor again and again, breaking his nose with the first smack. On the third time Barraggan's descending face caught a glimpse of platinum blond in his peripheals. Then his eye came down on a rock. It ripped into his left eye. Then he was rolling over and over._

_He thrashed with his reaitsu and hit nothing. Then his arms were behind his back and with a swift jerk upward, both shoulders were dislocated. Barragan screamed. When he next thought to thrash, he found his arms and legs tied together._

_"Well now." Someone snarled out just above and beyond his vision. "Lets see how you like it!"_

_From his remaining eye, Barragan finally caught sight of his assailants. A blond adjuchas with an arm that ended in a now broken blade. A battered looking lizard-like adjuchas that bore a deep trench running from shoulder to hip; further marring his chalk white flesh with scarlet. Having no flesh of his own to speak of, the King of Hueco Muendo was rendered impotent as his pursuers flopped him onto his back._

_Wobbling, clearly exhausted, but still pulling Barragan across the scaffold by his cloak. He thrashed again, trying to kick something, anything, trying to stand. Halibel dropped him on his back and the king bellowed as it put pressure on his bound, dislocated shoulders._

_Ichigo stood over him._

_Barragan gathered his strength to try another kick._

_Ichigo's foot streaked down first, breaking Barragan's shin. Barragan screamed again against the exploding blackness of pain that threatened to make him fall unconscious, and when he looked again, Halibel was kicking a section of the floor that would ultimately lead to Las Noches._

_Flames erupted before his vision._

_"You filthy little ants!" Barragan roared, straining against his restraints as the light from the cero continued to bulge and swell. "You won't get away with this!"_

_"Then you'd best pray." Ichigo said, his voice pitiless. "Pray for someone to save you from your own hell." Halibel did something with Barragan's cloak. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the cloak tightened and a blur of orange and yellow and red streaked past the emperor's vision. There was a great, rending tear as teeth sank into the hollowfied bone that comprised his right shoulder and abdomen._

_Then he was flung into the flames._

The memory faded quickly as her lips clapsed against him again. A memory within a memory, dredged up from the blackness by the increasingly cold climate of their ascent. A fleething thought within a thought, one that ended all too soon. Regardless of the fact, Kurosaki Ichigo found himself wishing for warmer weather as he came back to the here and now; his thoughts returning to the present as he recalled the reason for this blond vixen being in his lap.

"I...adore you." He choked out the last part with a squelching sound, changing it at the last instant. She peered upwards at him, and he was struck speechless. They'd stripped themselves of their gigai prior to this bout of frenzied lovemaking, and as such, there was no mistaking the deadly gleam in her eyes. He tried to force the dreaded "L" word from his lips, but it simply refused to come, even as another gout of cold air assaulted the cabin in which they would be spending the last day on sunnier shores.

Needless to say, Halibel was not pleased.

"That's not the word I wanted to hear."

Her hands had had made their way around his cheeks and clamped down.

"You're daydreaming." She snapped tersely."Again. About the past."

"Perhaps." His gaze cut across at her, just for an instant. "But I can't just say that out of the blue." He protested weakly. "Girls always run whenever you use the "L" word, or do you not remember Hal-

His words were cut mercilessly short as a sandal collided with his face.

"Ow!" He whined, his gaze slipping to the perpetrator. "What the hell-

**"!"**

"What the fucking hell is going on?" Loly demanded suddenly, her black pigtails jerking back and forth; a puppet severed from its strings as her head peeped through the door that had been shut nearly an instant before. Pushing past her, of course, were the rest of Halibel's fraccion, as well as his own. For a moment, there was silence, sadly, it took littlr more than that moment for the temperature to drop noticeably.

"Since when the hell did you two get to be on such friendly terms?" Came the unanimous question, once everyone noticed who was laying who's lap.

Ichigo sweatdropped.

_"Ah, shit..._

**_Flashbacks and fluff next chappy! Reviews make me happy, reviews keep me alive and writing; so won't you please give me them? Next chapter will be much, much, MUCH longer, I promise!_**

**_~Nz_**


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